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li 


MARK ME, SIR ! MARK ME! ” 







Three Colonial Boys 

a Storg of tire Stines of ’76. 



EVERETT T. TOMLINSON, 

*» 


A uthor of" The Search for Andrew Field f " The Boy Soldiers of 1812,” etc. 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

CHARLES COPELAND 



BOSTON : 

W. A. WILDE & COMPANY, 
25 Bromfield Street. 



Copyright, 1895, 

W. A. Wilde & Company. 
All rights reserved. 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS 


/X- 'btji/Xi) 


To My Namesake, 

35bmtt 20. 20afcts, 

Who first saw the light in the historic town in which many of the deeds 
recorded in this story were done, in the hope that its lessons of loyalty to 
family, friends, city, state, and nation may not be wholly lost, 

This Book is affectionately dedicated 

By the Author. 





PREFACE. 


This book is the first of a series and is therefore intro- 
ductory. While it is my design to cover the outlines of 
the struggle for independence in the series, it is in the 
form of stories that I wish to do this, and through the 
stories to lead the younger readers into the history itself. 

The setting of this story is in the main historically 
true. The feeling between the Whigs and Tories, the 
London Trading and Whale-boat Warfare, the character- 
istics of the soldiers, the sending of the powder from 
New Jersey to Cambridge, and the pictures of town life 
are all true. The life and feelings of the people who 
did the great deeds ought as much to be known as the 
deeds themselves. Indeed, this is the history of which 
the other is only the manifestation. 

In times like the present there is special need of these 
lessons. To hold fast is as necessary as to prove. In 
the hope that some lessons of patriotism as well as an 
interest in the story itself may be aroused, this book is 
sent forth. 


Everett T. Tomlinson. 






CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. An Angry Master n 

II. A Colonial Serenade 19 

III. How the Master Became a Prisoner ... 27 

IV. An Indignation Meeting 35 

V. An Unfortunate Staten Islander .... 43 

VI. An Escape in the Fog 50 

VII. A Strange Disappearance 58 

VIII. Drifting 66 

IX. Journeying to New York 77 

X. Found and Lost 85 

XI. Evart’s Experience 93 

XII. A Long Voyage 103 

XIII. An Escape in the Darkness 112 

XIV. Exciting Reports 121 

XV. A New Expedition 130 

XVI. Joseph’s Discovery 139 

XVII. Joseph Uses the Whip 149 

XVTII. Blocking an Incendiary 159 

XIX. Riding in the Night 168 

XX. A Sad Loss 179 

XXI. The Accusers Accused 188 

XXII. Towed by the Petrel 198 

XXIII. Ethan’s Enemy’s Triumph 209 

XXIV. Strange Companions 219 

XXV. The Schoolmaster Mystifies the Boys . . . 228 

XXVI. John Resolves to Solve the Problem .... 239 

XXVII. A Clew 248 

XXVIII. The Mystery Deepens 259 


8 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER PAGE 

XXIX. The Problem Becomes More Difficult . . . 269 

XXX. A Rear Guard 280 

XXXI. An Inquisitive Stranger 291 

XXXII. Joseph’s Empty Room 302 

XXXIII. The Enemy Baffled 313 

XXXIV. At the Headquarters of the Continental Army . 324 

XXXV. The Fight and Flight of the Falcon . . . 334 

XXXVI. A Light on the Mystery 343 

XXXVII. One Mystery Solved and Another Begins . . 357 

XXXVIII. Conclusion 365 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

“Mark me, Sir! Mark me!” Frontispiece 18 

“Sic ’em, Tige! Sic ’em!” 56 

Just as he took the Oars they heard a Shot fired .... 120 

“You CAN TELL NOW,” SAID Mr. TERRILL ANXIOUSLY 1 67 

% 

0 

“ Look there ! see that ! ” said Joseph 238 





THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


CHAPTER I. 

AN ANGRY MASTER. 

TV /T ARK me, sir ! Mark me ! ” 

A silence quickly came over the school- 
room as the angry master spoke. It was almost 
the hour of closing, and some of the younger boys 
already had been dismissed. Those who were yet in 
the room looked toward the schoolmaster with a 
frightened face, and even the older boys on the 
back seats were startled and attentive. No one 
was studying, but the master was too angry to 
notice that which usually drew from him a sharp 
reprimand. The face of John Shotwell, to whom 
these words were spoken, became white and hard, 
and his seat-mate, Joseph Swan, looked at him in 
surprise. 

John Shotwell was one of the oldest and 
strongest of the boys in Master Chase’s Grammar 
School, in Elizabeth Town, in February, 1775. He 
had been the leader among his young friends, for 
no one could bat so far the little hard rubber ball 

11 


12 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


with which they played in those days, and for which 
John had his own special club, so thick through 
that it was known among the boys as the “ pudden 
stick.” No one could throw it so straight and swift 
as he, for they more frequently threw the ball to 
hit than to be caught, in those days. 

When skating came on the bay, into which the 
Passaic and the Hackensack flowed, few could keep 
up with him; and when they trapped the rabbits that 
were always plentiful in winter in the woods that 
were near the town, John always had the best suc- 
cess ; and in the handling of a boat few were his 
equals. 

He had always been peaceable, never picking a 
quarrel, yet never running from it when once it 
came. 

There was something about his well-knit, active, 
athletic figure, or else about the glance that came 
forth from his eyes at times, that made few care to 
disturb him. 

Two years before this time, Schoolmaster Chase 
had come from England and cast in his lot with the 
Colonies, but his life here had never been a happy 
"*bne, as few people cared to be reminded constantly 
of their own lacks and of the superiority of another 
country. During those two years he had conducted 
a school, and now there were between thirty and 
forty boys under his care, varying in ages from the 
little fellow just learning his letters, to the sturdy 


AN ANGRY MASTER. 


13 


John and Joseph, who were almost men in size and 
strength. 

The schoolmaster had ruled by the aid of the 
rod and the strap. Every morning the entire 
school stood in a row around the schoolroom with 
their toes upon a certain crack, and each scholar 
read a verse from the Bible, “ reading around ” until 
a chapter from the Old Testament, a Psalm, and a 
chapter from the New Testament had been read. 
If any luckless youngster were unfortunate enough 
to lose his place, or make a mistake in the reading, 
he at once stepped forward with his toes upon 
another crack, and joined that portion of the class 
which steadily grew until the reading lesson was 
finished. All those in the rear row then went back 
to their seats, while the master took his ferule and 
inflicted a punishment upon the outstretched palms 
of those who were unfortunate enough to be mem- 
bers of the front row. 

During the day the sound of the ferule and the 
rod were frequently heard, and the expression with 
which this chapter opens — “ Mark me, sir! Mark 
me ! ” — was one which the master delighted to 
shout and which meant that some unfortunate pupil 
was to come to the front of the room and, placing his 
toes upon one crack, bend forward until his fingers 
touched another crack in the floor, and in this posi- 
tion receive the punishment which the vindictive 
Englishman appeared to take delight in giving. 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


H 


He was thoroughly detested by all the scholars, 
and yet, because he could give some opportunities 
that were not often to be had then, he had built up 
quite a large school. John Shotwell had been out 
of school for a year or two, but had come back with 
the thought that possibly a little later he might go 
to Nassau Hall (Princeton) which he knew first had 
been founded at Elizabeth Town. On his next 
birthday he would be eighteen years old and already 
he felt as if he were a young man. 

Schoolmaster Chase, as has been said, was an 
ardent friend of the mother country. He was a large, 
strong, quick-tempered man, whose face flushed at 
the slightest provocation and of whom the smaller 
boys stood in great fear. They doffed their hats in 
the most abject manner when they met him on the 
street, or else ran away when they saw him ap- 
proaching, to avoid even a slight contact with this 
great man. 

John had despised him as a bully and a coward at 
heart, and yet never before this day had he come to 
an open rupture. The master had somehow avoided 
an issue, for, perhaps, he did not care to draw out 
the athletic young student, who always knew his 
lessons and who quietly attended to his own busi- 
ness. There was something about the look of his 
eye which showed he was not afraid of him, and he 
was well aware of the reputation he had among the 
boys. 


AN ANGRY MASTER. 


15 


Perhaps also he felt that John had no respect for 
him, which, while it did not add to his own comfort, 
helped him to avoid a meeting-. 

John was as ardent in his devotion to the cause of 
the Colonies as the master was in belittling them and 
in magnifying the goodness and power of England. 
John came of a strong patriotic family, and he was 
the third generation born in America. His father 
had been one of the men who had helped to restore 
the powder which had been seized by the Tories in 
Stamford, Connecticut, only a few days before this 
time, and John had been greatly excited over the 
expedition. 

Mr. Shotwell was also one of the “Sons of Lib- 
erty,” and had been one of the number who nearly 
ten years before this time had built a large gallows 
at Elizabeth Town, and on which they had declared 
that the first person that ever distributed or took 
out a “Stamped paper,” should be hanged without 
judge or jury. 

It was true that the gallows never had been used, 
but it had had a wholesome effect on the people. 
He also had been one of those who had presented 
an address to Colonel Templar five years before, 
telling of the good qualities of the twenty-sixth 
regiment when they had been withdrawn from Eliza- 
beth Town, and the hated twenty-ninth, which had 
been stationed at. Boston at the time of the Boston 
Massacre, had been sent to take their place. When 


1 6 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

they had heard of the Boston troubles, John’s father 
had been at the meeting held at the Court House in 
Newark on the eleventh of June, when the paper of 
William Livingston calling on all the people to 
stand firm in their opposition to Parliament had 
been adopted. 

Only the previous morning John had laughed 
heartily when his father read to him from the New 
York Journal the definition of a Tory which recently 
had been given at a dinner party in New York. 

He had come to school that morning with his 
blood stirred, and it was strange that on that very 
morning Master Chase should have been specially 
abusive. John watched him quietly, and while his 
lip curled sometimes with contempt at the master’s 
abuse of the younger boys, he had no thought of a 
personal collision with him himself ; but John’s class 
had taken their places on the floor, and one of the 
problems in arithmetic had been to compute the 
amount of duty which England might collect on 
certain articles of import into America, and this 
had served the irascible schoolmaster as a text. 
John had solved the problem and had given the 
answer. 

“ Is that the right duty? ” said the teacher. 

“Yes, that’s the right duty,” replied John, “but 
that duty is n’t right.” 

The schoolroom was silent in a moment, and some 
of the boys looked aghast at the boldness of anyone 


AM ANGRY MASTER. 


I 7 


who would dare to speak such words, in view of the 
well-known sentiments of the master. 

“ What do you mean, sir?” thundered the master. 

“ My father says that almost none of our people 
around here ever used the stamps, and that none 
but Tories wanted to.” 

“ What did you say, Tory or traitor?” 

“Either will do,” replied John quickly, “but I 
said Tory.” 

“ Tory, Tory ! What is a Tory ? ” said the master, 
growing more and more angry every moment. 

“ I heard my father read a good definition of one 
out of the New York Journal yesterday morning,” 
said John quietly, but with a strange look in his 
eyes. 

“ Pray, sir,” said the schoolmaster sarcastically, 
“ be good enough to give it to us. We ’ll all stop 
and listen to it,” he added, turning to the entire 
school. 

“ There were some men dining together in New 
York the other day, and one of them asked the very 
same question that you asked just now, ‘ What is a 
Tory ? ’ and since you have told me to tell you what 
it was, I ’ll give you the answer ; but it ’s his, and 
not mine.” 

The master waited a moment, and John continued: 
“This man said that a Tory was a thing that had its 
head in England, and its body in America, and 
whose neck ought to be stretched.” 


1 8 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

The face of the schoolmaster became livid. He 
clenched his fist and grasped his heavy ferule, and 
in his loudest tones he shouted, “Mark me, sir! 
Mark me ! ” but John did not move. The entire 
school was breathless waiting for the issue. 

“ Stay,” said the schoolmaster. “ There are not 
enough here now, and such an open insult must 
be openly punished. To-morrow morning you will 
come prepared to toe the mark before the entire 
school.” Then he hurriedly dismissed them all. 

The smile which John had upon his face almost 
made the angry man start for him then and there, 
ferule in hand ; but he restrained himself, and 
smiling grimly he decided to bide his time, and 
permitted the school to pass out of the building. 


CHAPTER II. 


A COLONIAL SERENADE. 

JOHN SHOTWELL walked home thoughtfully. 
J His seat-mate, Joseph Swan, started to go with 
him, but when John turned to him and said, “ I ’ll 
see you at the singing school to-night,” he knew 
that he wanted to be left alone. 

John’s heart was hot within him. He felt morti- 
fied that he, one of the oldest of the boys and the 
leader of them all, should have been so spoken to 
before the school ; and yet what could he do ? 
Should he tell his father? But his father frequently 
had told him that if ever he had trouble with his 
teachers at school he might expect to find more 
when he came home, and he knew that his father 
was one to keep his word. His only hope was in 
the intense patriotism of his father, and the thought 
that he might prove to be his friend when he knew 
the cause of the trouble. 

John was the youngest of seven brothers, and 
the only one of them all at home now. Being the 
seventh son, he was familiarly known as “ Doctor,” 
as there was a tradition in those days that the 
seventh son should be called by that name. But he 
hesitated about telling his father, for his stern ways 
19 


20 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


and his uncompromising loyalty to the officials in 
school and church, made him know that he would be 
angry at first ; but when he entered the house he 
found his mother there all alone, and to her he told 
his whole story. 

She listened quietly, although John thought he 
detected a slight flush upon her cheeks as he recited 
his story, and she promised to tell his father all 
about it. 

The boys of those days respected their fathers, 
but loved their mothers ; and that which John did 
in telling his mother of his trouble, and getting the 
promise of her intercession, was something not 
unknown in other families and by other boys. 

John ate his supper, and as he glanced at his 
father at the other end of the table he knew that 
his mother had not yet told him. He did his chores 
for the night and then started for the singing school. 

He knew that many of the boys would be there, 
but, mortified and angered alike at his experience of 
the day, he did not care to see them ; but if he 
stayed away, he was even more afraid that they 
would assign another cause for his absence, and so 
he decided to go. 

For a number of evenings he had walked home 
after the singing school with Hannah Boudinot, the 
sister of Master Chase’s wife. She was a demure 
little maiden, as gentle as Master Chase was stern. 
John laughed a little to himself as he walked on, as 


A COLONIAL SERENADE. 21 

he thought of the way in which he had first walked 
home with her. He was not quite sure but that he 
was on one side of the street and she on the other. 
At any rate, he was certain that not a word had been 
spoken by either of them before they had arrived at 
her home. He wondered a little as to what she 
would say to him now. 

The singing school had opened, and they all were 
singing with great enthusiasm the first piece of the 
evening when John entered and took his seat. One 
of the boys whispered to him: “We’re going to 
fix Chase. Will you go into it?” But John only 
shook his head by way of reply, and tried to give his 
attention to the work of the evening. 

The singing school was over at last, and Joseph 
Swan, who also had come in late, John noticed with 
surprise was not waiting for his sister, but had sent 
her home with another party of young people who 
would of necessity go in that direction. 

Just as John was trying to get up his courage, 
for the fear of the “ Mitten ” was the great fear of 
his life, and had stepped forward from the line of 
boys waiting outside in the cold, to speak to the 
demure little Hannah, Master Chase suddenly came 
up and took her home with him. 

“ Come on, John ; I know you ’ll join us now,” 
said Joseph as he grasped his friend by the arm and 
started off down the street with him. “ We Ve 
stood the old curmudgeon just as long as we’re 


22 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


going to;” and as he walked along by the side of 
his friend, with many a laugh he told him of the 
plan which had been devised, and in the execution 
of the first part of which he had spent the early 
part of the evening. 

“That’s what made me late at the singing school. 
He is the meanest man that ever lived. The way 
he hammers at the Colonies, and at us if we say a 
word for our own homes, is more than we want, and 
what he said to you to-day is the worst thing yet. 
You aren’t going to stand it, are you, Doctor?” 
said Joseph. 

John said nothing by way of reply, and Joseph 
continued his story. “ We ’ve been up to the 
schoolhouse and what do you suppose we did ? We 
bored a hole through the bottom of the chair that 
old Chase sits in, and another right through the 
platform and the floor under it. It’s only a little 
hole and you could n’t see it unless you were look- 
ing for it. Then we ran a string through the holes 
we had bored, and along under the floor and out at 
the window. I don’t suppose we ’ll use it outside 
of the window, but we just put it that way, so that 
when it goes off he ’ll think it ’s some one outside. 
Well, right under the chair, and in the hole, we ’ve 
fixed a darning-needle on a spring, and we ’ve con- 
nected a cord with the whole thing, and we can pull 
that spring back, and send that darning-needle up 
through that hole in the chair in a way that will 


A COLONIAL SERENADE. 


23 


wake up the glorious old Tory. When he starts to 
get up to-morrow we ’re going to help him.” 

John laughed aloud. In his mind he could see 
the burly schoolmaster pricked with the needle, and 
the angry face which he would have when the trick 
should have been played upon him. 

“Don’t you want to pull that string?” said 
Joseph. 

“ No,” replied John, “ that is n’t in my line, and 
he ’d charge me with it, anyway.” 

“ Well, we ’re going around to serenade him now ; 
will you come ?” continued Joseph. In a moment 
John had forgotten about Hannah, and all his 
troubles, and said: “Yes, I’ll come around with 
you and join in the chorus, anyway.” 

The schoolmaster lived in a house that stood back 
from the street and in a large yard. There were 
many trees and bushes there, and behind these the 
boys were to take their places. 

John was surprised when he saw nearly fifty in 
the company that had gathered, and watched them 
with interest as they sought their positions. Soon 
all things were ready, and Joseph struck up a song 
in which all joined. 

The cruel lords of Britain, 

Who glory in their shame, 

The project they have hit on 
They joyfully proclaim ; 


24 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


’T is what they ’re striving after 
Our right to take away, 

And rob us of our charter 
In North America. 

Old Satan, the arch-traitor 
Who rules the burning lake, 

Where his chief navigator 
Resolved a voyage to take ; 

For the Britannic ocean 
He launches far away, 

To land he had no notion 
In North America. 

He takes his seat in Britain — 

It was his soul’s intent 
Great George’s throne to sit on, 

And rule the Parliament. 

His comrades were pursuing 
A diabolic way 
For to complete the ruin 
Of North America. 

0 George ! you are distracted ; 

You ’ll by experience find 

The laws you have enacted 
Are of the blackest kind. 

1 ’ll make a short digression, 

And tell you, by the way, 

We fear not your oppression 
In North America. 

The boys sang each stanza louder than the pre- 
ceding one, but no response as yet had come from 
the house. Suddenly John heard some one on the 
steps of the piazza say : “ Sic ’em, Tige ! Sic ’em, 


A COLONIAL SERENADE . 


25 


Tige ! ” and the savage dog, which the schoolmaster 
kept, started toward the singers. John never knew 
just what happened, but the dog began to howl and 
returned limping to the house, and once more the 
boys resumed the song which had been interrupted. 

Proud George, you are engaged 
All in a dirty cause, 

A cruel war have waged 
Repugnant to all laws. 

Go tell the savage nations 
' You ’re cruder than they, 

To fight your own relations 
In North America. 

Confusion to the Tories ! 

That black, infernal name, 

In which Great Britain glories, 

Forever to her shame : 

We ’ll send each foul revolter 
To smutty Africa, 

Or noose him in a halter, 

In North America. 

“ Oh, give them something else ! ” called out 
Joseph. “ ‘ American Taxation ’ ’s all right, but let’s 
give them now the ‘ Banks of the Dee’ ; ” and once 
more they began to sing : — 

’T was winter, and blue Tory noses were freezing, 

As they marched o’er the land where they ought not to be ; 

The valiants complain’d at the fifers’ curs’d wheezing, — 

The song was interrupted by the sound of a gun 
discharged from an upper window in the house. 


26 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


The company of serenaders quickly scattered, and 
Joseph said: “ ’T was only salt, I know, but we ’ve 
stirred him up enough for to-night, I guess. What 
are you going to do to-morrow ? ” said he quizzically. 

“ I ’m not sure just yet,” replied John thought- 
fully as he left his companion to go to his own 
home ; but the question was still in his mind when 
he found all were in bed, and he himself, wrapped 
in his blankets, was trying to get to sleep — “ What 
am I going to do to-morrow ? ” 


CHAPTER III. 


HOW THE MASTER BECAME A PRISONER. 

\ yt /HEN John took his place at the breakfast 
v * table the next morning, he saw by the ex- 
pression on his father’s face that his mother had told 
him all about his trouble with the schoolmaster. 
Little, however, was said during the meal, and it 
was only after the morning prayers, for which the 
servants and all the members of the household were 
assembled, that his father spoke to him. 

“John, how is this that I hear you have been 
having trouble with the master ? ” 

“ It was n’t any trouble of my seeking,” said John. 
“ I ’ve tried to do everything he told me to ; but 
when he abused the Colonies I could n’t keep still.” 

“ What was it you said to him ? ” asked his father. 

“ Why all I did,” replied John, “ was to tell him 
of the definition you read in the New York Journal 
day before yesterday morning of a Tory, and he 
did n’t seem to like it.” 

His father smiled but made no reply, and John 
went on to tell him all the circumstances of the 
preceding day, even to Hannah and the singing 
school, and the serenade which Schoolmaster Chase 
had received. 


28 


THREE COLON/EL BOVS. 


“ That is what I blame you most for,” said his 
father; “you had no right at all on his grounds.” 

“ I suppose so,” said John ; “ but as all the boys 
were going I did n’t like to hold back.” 

“ That does n’t make any difference,” said his 
father decidedly. “ Every man’s house is his castle, 
and he has a perfect right to keep out all who try to 
enter without his consent. If it had n’t been for the 
serenade, I hardly think I should have made you go 
to school to-day ; but, as it is, you ’ll have to go and 
take the consequences.” 

“ Do you think I ought to stand still and let him 
thrash me just for saying what I did?” John anx- 
iously asked. 

H is father hesitated a moment and then said : “I 
sha’n’t uphold you in any rebellion against your 
teachers. You ’ve gotten into this trouble yourself, 
and you ’ll have to get yourself out of it ; still, I 
don’t think I should take, back any of the words I 
used yesterday if I were in your place, if you have 
told me all there was of it.” 

John assured his father that he had told him 
everything, and feeling somewhat confident that he 
would not blame him if he did stand up a little 
further for his own rights, he took his books and 
started for the schoolhouse. 

It was not quite time, when John arrived, for the 
boys to be summoned to the schoolroom. They all 
looked at him curiously when he approached, but in 


HOW THE MAS TEE BECAME A PRISONER. 


reply to the questions which they put to him as to 
what he intended to do in the event of the master 
carrying out his threat of the previous day, John 
only shook his head and would say nothing. 

The bell soon was rung, and the boys took their 
places at their desks. As they came trooping into 
the room, one of the boys started up a verse of the 
song they had used on the previous night : — 

Old Satan, the arch-traitor 

Who rules the burning lake, — 

but the expression on the master’s face soon stopped 
any inclination to sing. 

While John had not told the boys what he had in 
mind, he nevertheless had decided upon the course 
of action he should pursue, and he calmly took his 
seat. 

When .the other boys took their places he felt that 
the schoolmaster was watching him, but he seldom 
glanced in his direction. At a rap of the ferule on 
the desk all the boys took their places on the floor, 
to read from the Bible after their morning custom ; 
but somehow the master did not notice their mis- 
takes that morning, and no one was called upon to 
step forward upon the advance line, as was the usual 
morning practice. 

This exercise had been finished, and they all 
once more had taken their seats, when a hush came 
over the room. Everyone was anxious and won- 


30 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


dering what was to come next, but the brief silence 
was soon broken by the voice of Schoolmaster Chase. 
He still sat in his seat, as he always did till the boys 
had taken their places on the line whenever he called 
out “ Mark me, sir ! Mark me ! ” This morning he 
was unusually slow and cool in all his movements, 
but at last he began to speak. 

“ Yesterday,” said he, “ I was grievously insulted 
in this room. The position I hold and the positions 
you hold entitle me to your respect at all times 
and under all circumstances. In spite of the grave 
insult which I received, I still am willing to forgive 
it, if the one who made it will apologize as openly 
as he gave the insult.” 

H is words produced a marked effect upon the 
scholars, and the eyes of everyone were turned 
toward John, who sat, undisturbed and quiet, in his 
seat on the back row. The suspense was broken 
when John arose in the midst of a stillness that 
was almost oppressive, and replied to the words of 
the teacher. 

“ I presume you are speaking of me, are you 
not ? ” he said. 

“ Yes, sir ! ” gruffly replied the teacher. 

“ I never meant to insult you,” replied John. “ I 
have always been taught by my parents and the 
minister to be respectful to my elders and to my 
betters. If I was disrespectful yesterday, I am 
sorry for it and willing to say so before the school.” 


HOW THE MASTER BECAME A PRISONER. 3 I 

The face of the schoolmaster was glowing. Al- 
ready the victory seemed to be his, and in a con- 
fident manner he said : “ That ’s right, that’s right ; 
we ought never to forget the duty we owe to Eng- 
land. She has a right to all of the Colonies and to 
all that the Colonies can do for her.” 

“That’s not what I said,” said John quietly. “ If 
I was disrespectful to you, I am willing to apologize ; 
but I am not willing to take back one word I said 
about the right of England to tax us.” 

“You said something about ‘traitors,’” said the 
schoolmaster angrily. 

“ Yes,” replied John ; “ but it was only to answer 
a question you asked of me. I feel more than ever 
that Tory and traitor are spelled in the same way.” 

The face of the schoolmaster flushed and a look 
of intense anger spread over it. “ Then mark me, 
sir ! mark me ! ” he shouted in a voice that could 
have been heard far from the schoolhouse. 

John knew that the contest was coming. The 
suppressed excitement in the room was intense. He 
heard his seat-mate say in a low tone : “ Now ! now! 
Draw it hardy draw it hard ! ” 

“ Mark me ! Mark me, sir ! ” continued the school- 
master. “ M-a-r-k me, m-a-r-k me ! ” he suddenly 
screamed, and came up over the table in front of 
him, something after the manner in which the boys 
played leapfrog. 

His face had lost its look of anger in part, and an 


32 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


expression of intense pain had taken its place. The 
little fellows on the front benches screamed, and 
started from their seats at this unexpected movement 
of the master, evidently fearful that he had started 
for them, ferule in hand. The older boys on the 
back seat, after a silence of a moment, broke into a 
loud laugh. 

The agony expressed by the teacher’s face ap- 
peared to be intense. Whoever had pulled the 
spring back and sent the darning-needle up through 
the hole in the chair, had evidently followed the 
advice which Joseph gave, and had pulled it “ hard.” 

“You did that ! You did that ! ” said the teacher 
with a yell as he looked at John. 

“ I did not,” replied John. “ I had nothing to do 
with it.” 

“You did it, or you know who did it,” said the 
teacher, his face contracting again with the pain 
which he still suffered. 

John was silent. He could not deny that he 
knew who had inflicted the pain upon the teacher, 
and yet he would not betray his friends, and was 
not in the least afraid for himself. 

“ I ’ll soon see who did it ! ” shouted the angry 
master; “and if you were the one, you’ll remem- 
ber this day till you die. If others helped you in it, 
they shall take their places with you on the mark 
and share with you in that which is to follow.” 

He had meanwhile been examining the chair from 


I/O IV THE MAS TEE BECAME A PRISONER . 


33 


which he had started so suddenly, and discovered 
the contrivance by means of which the boys had 
driven the darning-needle into his body. He saw 
that the string, which connected with the spring, led 
down through the floor to the cellar below. 

“ I ’ll be back in a moment, just as soon as I Ve 
seen where this string leads to,” he said as he started 
for the door which led to the room under the school. 
He had hardly descended before there was a wild 
uproar in the schoolroom ; the younger boys, still 
somewhat afraid, were made bolder by the action of 
the older ones. 

“ Let ’s lock him in ; lock in the old Tory ! ” called 
out Joseph, and, leading the way, he with several 
others made a rush for the cellar door, and securely 
fastening it, made the Tory schoolmaster a prisoner 
in the cellar of his own schoolhouse. When they 
returned to the room, they found John coolly 
gathering his books together and preparing to leave 
the room. 

“Where are you going?”’ said Joseph. 

“ I ’m going home,” replied John quietly, “ and 
sha’n’t come back unless my father makes me.” 

“ Then we ’re all going,” said Joseph quickly, 
and the rest of the boys, catching something of his 
spirit, soon gathered their possessions together and 
left the place. 

They had little to say in reply to the questions 
of those whom they met upon the streets, but they 


34 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


all started for home, leaving the Tory schoolmaster 
behind, shut in the cellar of the building in which 
for two years he had ruled with a power as despotic 
as any king ever wielded upon his throne. 


CHAPTER IV. 


AN INDIGNATION MEETING. 

T OHN SHOTVVELL went directly to his home. 
J In spite of his quiet manner, he was greatly 
excited, and in his own heart the one fear upper- 
most was that of his meeting with his father. 

He knew how stern and rigid his father was, and 
how mortified he would be to have his own son a 
disturber of the peace. As he entered the house he 
was surprised to find his father there and apparently 
waiting for him. 

John entered the room quietly, and placing his 
books on the table, turned toward his father, and 
at once gave him a full account of the exciting 
events of the morning. 

His father had listened without replying a word, 
until John had come to the description of the 
contrivance which the boys had fixed for aiding 
the schoolmaster to arise from his chair ; and when 
John told of the yell which the schoolmaster gave 
when the darning-needle had been sent on its 
errand, and how he had almost leaped over the table 
in front of him when he felt its prick, his father 
threw back his head and laughed long and loud. 

“ Well, John,” said he at last, “ I never thought I 

35 


36 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


should uphold you in any rebellion against your law- 
ful rulers. I don’t know but that ’s almost as bad, 
though, what you ’ve been through this morning, as 
the treatment that old England is giving us. I ’m 
rebelling against that, and I don’t know that I can 
blame my son for rebelling against the same thing 
in the schoolroom.” 

John, pleased at his father’s words, said : “ What 
am I to do now ? Am I to go back to the school ? ” 

“ No,” replied his father ; “ I rather expected that 
you would n’t stay there very long this morning, and 
that ’s why I ’m home ; but probably that ’s the end 
of all your plans about going to Nassau Hall. Still, 
I think you can be a good man even if you don’t go 
to college ; and, while it has been my ambition to 
send you there, I ’d rather have you the patriotic son 
that you are, without the education, than to have 
you anything else, even with it. I want you, John, 
to stand up for your country always. These are 
great times in which we live, and we ’re making 
history faster now than ever it was made before in 
the world, and I want you to do your part.” 

“ I will,” said John with determination ; “ though 
I don’t know just what to do.” 

“ I don’t mean anything special just now,” said 
his father, “ but there ’s going to be a meeting 
at the courthouse to-night, and if you want to, 
you can go.” 

John expressed his eagerness to be present, for 


AN INDIGNATION MEETING. 


37 


he knew from the way in which his father had 
spoken that something unusual was likely to occur. 
Was there ever an active boy that did not desire to 
be on hand when public meetings of an exciting 
character were to be held ? 

He went out from his home to seek his friend 
Joseph Swan, and was greatly pleased when he saw 
him coming up the street with another friend, Evart 
Van Slyke. 

Evart’s home was not far from New Brunswick. 
His father was pastor of a Dutch church there, 
preaching to three different congregations on Sun- 
day. In the morning he preached in English to 
one, in the afternoon in Dutch to another, and in 
the evening in English to a third. Evart was the 
youngest of twelve children, and it was to relieve his 
mother of a part of her heavy cares that he had been 
spending the winter in Elizabeth Town with an aunt, 
and attending the school which Master Chase had 
been teaching. The three boys had been great 
friends, and now that they were together again they 
reviewed the exciting experiences of the day, and 
talked over their plans for the future. 

“ My father says I ’m not to go back again to 
school,” said John. 

“That’s just what mine said,” said Joseph 
“ He said he would n’t have me go where I had 
to listen to such stuff as that old traitor was 
giving us.” 


38 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“ I don’t know what I ’ll do,” said Evart, “ but 
I ’m afraid there won’t be much of any school to go 
to, if they all feel about it as you do.” 

“ Well, we ’ll stand together anyway and see what 
happens. Do you suppose the master has gotten 
out of the cellar yet ? ” 

“ I don’t know,” said John with a laugh. “ I ’m 
very certain that we sha’n’t help him out.” 

“ That ’s what we won’t ! ” replied Joseph. “ My 
people came from New England, and the New 
Englanders don’t know much about giving up.” 

“ Well, I ’m a Jerseyman,” said John. “ I guess 
my grit won’t suffer ; and here ’s Evart, he ’s a 
Dutchman.” 

“Well, if I am,” replied Evart, “I never brag 
half as much as you New Englanders have done,” 
said he to Joseph. “ Where would your New York 
have been if it had not been for the Dutch ? Did 
you ever hear about a Dutchman whipping a Quaker 
or banishing a Baptist from his colony ? Seems to 
me I ’ve heard some things like that from your 
ancestors.” 

“ I don’t know but you have,” said Joseph, “ and 
yet we won’t quarrel about that now. We ’re going 
to stand together anyway; some things are going 
to happen here pretty soon, and we want to do what 
we can. What shall we call ourselves ? — ‘ defenders 
of our country ’ ? ” 

John laughed and said : “ I guess the country 


AN INDIGNATION MEETING. 


39 

won’t depend on our defence. We might call our- 
selves ‘ the continental band.’ ” 

“If we’re going into this thing together,” said 
Evart, “ I know a better name than that for us. 
Only yesterday I was reading about the first trium- 
virate at Rome. You know Caesar, Pompey, and 
Crassus made up that. Why don’t we call ourselves 
a ‘ triumvirate ’ ? ” 

“That’s what we will,” said John. 

“ Whenever any American people get together,” 
said Joseph with a laugh, “ they always elect officers 
about the first thing they do.” 

John laughed and said : “I don’t think we ’ll do 
that. The members of the triumvirate are all 
equal, and if any one of us gets ahead, it will be 
because he does more than the others.” 

Meanwhile the boys had walked on by the school- 
house, and finding a window in the cellar broken, 
they concluded that the schoolmaster must have 
made his escape. 

“ Let ’s go home by his house,” said Joseph. 
“ He wouldn’t dare touch us if he saw us, and we’ll 
see how he is, maybe ; ” but nothing was seen of the 
schoolmaster or of any of the inmates of his house 
as the boys passed by it, and after laughing again 
over the expression which they had seen upon his 
face in the morning, and rejoicing in the fact that 
they would not be compelled to listen to his abuse 
of their country and witness his brutal treatment of 


40 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


the younger boys any more, they separated, agree- 
ing to meet that evening at the courthouse, where 
the large meeting was to be held. 

Early that night a large crowd of men had assem- 
bled at the courthouse in response to the call 
which had been issued, and the three boys, who 
were seated together, were interested listeners to 
the excited speeches of their elders. 

A reference was made by one speaker to the fact 
that the people of the town had not long before 
denounced Rivington’s Royal Gazetteer of New York, 
and declared that they would not patronize it any 
longer because of its Tory utterances ; but this 
evening the speeches were mainly directed against 
Staten Island. 

Great indignation was expressed at many of the 
things which the Islanders were doing, and which 
it was understood that they proposed to do. Some 
of the speakers called it a “hotbed of Toryism”; 
others called it “ a nest of snakes,” “ a nurse of 
vipers,” “ the home of traitors.” These and many 
similar extravagant expressions were used by the 
excited speakers of the evening, and the boys soon 
came to feel that Staten Island must be a very bad 
place indeed. 

The excitement of the meeting became more and 
more pronounced, and before the men separated, 
the boys were delighted that the following resolu- 
tion was adooted. amid the cheers and songs and 


AN INDIGNATION MEETING. 


4 * 


waving of hats by the excited men who were 
present : — 

Whereas, The inhabitants of Staten Island have manifested an 
unfriendly disposition towards the liberties of America, and 
among other things have neglected to join in the General Associa- 
tion proposed by the Continental Congress and entered into by 
most of the townships in America, and in no instance have 
acceded thereto, the Committee of Observation for this Town, 
taking the same into consideration, are of opinion that the inhab- 
itants of their district ought, and by the aforesaid Association are 
bound, to break off all trade, commerce, dealings, and intercourse 
whatsoever with the inhabitants of said Island until they shall 
join in the General Association aforesaid ; and do 

Resolve , That all trade, commerce, dealings, and intercourse 
whatsoever be suspended accordingly, which suspension is hereby 
notified and recommended to the inhabitants of this District to 
be by them universally observed and adopted. 

George Ross, Clerk. 

The meeting broke up with cheers and songs and 
great excitement on the part of every one that had 
been present. The boys had much to say about 
their neighbors who lived across the Bay, and of 
the probable consequences of the action which the 
people had taken that night. 

As they were walking together up the street they 
met one of their friends who had had his seat in 
the same row with them, in the school, and who 
called out to them and asked them to stop a moment 
and listen to him. 

“ I Ve got some great news for you! Oh, it’s 


42 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


good ! I ’ve not heard anything like it in a long 
time ! ” 

The boys stopped and listened to their excited 
friend, and soon were as enthusiastic as he over the 
news he had received. 


CHAPTER V. 


AN UNFORTUNATE STATEN ISLANDER. 

HASE has cleared out, boys. No more school ! 

I Ve just heard that he ’s just gone over to 
Staten Island to-day,” said the friend whom the 
boys met on the street. 

“How do you know it? Where did you hear 
it?” asked John. 

“A man has just been at our house,” he replied, 
“ who has just come from Staten Island. He says 
the schoolmaster has gone over there and that he ’s 
going to stay. He says he ’s in a great rage at 
America in general, and Elizabeth Town in particu- 
lar. It seems he has some remarks to make about 
you too, John.” 

John laughed, and their companion continued: 
“ He says the schoolmaster told him that he ’d taken 
a house right down near the shore, facing this way. 
I don’t suppose he wants to lose sight of Jersey 
entirely, as he ’s got something to remember it by. 
I wonder if he took that darning-needle with him 
when he went ? ” and all the boys laughed loud and 
long. 

“ I say, boys,” said Joseph, “ let’s go over there 
and pay him a visit. I don’t believe there ’s any one 

43 


44 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


in the world he ’d like to see as he would John 
Shotwell;” and he slapped his friend upon the back, 
and once more the boys laughed heartily. 

“ We shall hear from him again,” said John, 
“before many days, and I don’t believe it’ll be in 
a pleasant way either. The schoolmaster is n’t one 
to give up a grudge very easily. He thinks King 
George and his throne depend upon him for their 
support ; but we ’ll wait and see what comes to 
pass,” he added as he bade the boys good- night 
and entered his own home. 

The report which had come of the disappearance 
of the schoolmaster proved to be correct. The 
school was broken up, and the boys were free to join 
in the excitement of the times, which every day 
became stronger and stronger. 

Two days after the meeting at the courthouse, 
of which we told in the last chapter, as John was 
walking down the street, he saw the other two mem- 
bers of the triumvirate running toward him at the 
top of their speed. As soon as they saw who it was, 
they stopped, and Joseph called out as best he could 
in his attempts to regain his breath : “ Come on, 
John, come on ! you ’re the very one we ’ve been 
looking for.” 

“ Come on where?” said John. 

“Oh ! down to the Stone Bridge,” replied Joseph. 
“ Jim Johnson has just come from Staten Island, and 
he ’s got an oyster boat and a good big load aboard. 


AN UNFORTUNATE STATEN ISLANDER. 


45 


He ’s come right up the creek to the bridge, and 
says he ’s going to sell the oysters.” 

“ Does n’t he know anything about the meeting 
over here the other night ?” said John. 

“I don’t know whether he doesn’t know, or 
does n’t care ; and at any rate he ’s come right up the 
creek, and that, too, in the eyes of all the people. 
But come on and hurry up. There ’s a big crowd 
down there, and something’s going to happen.” 

The boys started on a run and soon were in the 
midst of the crowd, which was evidently angry, and 
shouting all sorts of threats at the Staten Islander. 
The poor frightened man evidently did not know 
the cause of the trouble, and had no thought that 
he was violating any law of the town. 

Suddenly in the midst of the excitement the boys 
heard some of the men begin to shout : “ Out of 
the way ! Give place ! Step aside ! Make room ! ” 
and they soon saw a man drive up to the bridge 
with two horses. 

They never could tell how it was done, but soon 
they saw these horses hitched to the little boat and 
it was hauled up the street. 

“To the courthouse! To the courthouse!” 
shouted the crowd, and to the courthouse the 
horses soon drew the boat and its load. 

John, who had been left behind with Evart, by 
Joseph, who had been among the first and the most 
eager of the crowd to drag the oyster boat out of 


46 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


the creek and up the street, turned to his companion 
and said : “I don’t believe in this ; I don’t believe in 
it at all. It ’s all well enough not to have any deals 
with the Staten Island people, but this poor fellow 
does n’t know anything about it. They could turn 
him back, and send him home without making all 
this trouble for him. I ’m going to tell him what 
he should do ; ” and he turned to the unfortunate 
Johnson who had remained behind, bewildered at 
the course of events, and more than half-afraid that 
he might be called upon by the crowd to follow his 
boat. 

“Why don’t you go up and see Squire Jonathan 
Hampton ? He ’s the one for you to see, and I 
don’t believe he’ll put up with this business either,” 
said John to the troubled man. 

“Where is he? Where’ll I find him?” said 
Johnson, too dazed to follow clearly the words 
which John was saying. 

“ I saw him in Smith’s tavern, right near the 
courthouse when we came by,” he replied ; and, 
leading the way, Johnson followed him and found 
the man whom they were seeking. 

He was as indignant as John at the report which 
was brought him, and at once promised the trem- 
bling oysterman his protection. He permitted him 
to sell his oysters, which two or three of the Tories 
purchased ; and, getting his boat for him from the 
angry crowd, John started him off for home with the 


AN UNFORTUNATE STATEN ISLANDER. 


47 


advice that he should not come to Elizabeth Town 
again with any of his wares, for the protection 
which had been given him this time he would not 
again receive. 

But the crowd which had gathered was not easily 
dispersed. It was not ill-natured, but still was 
determined to find some vent for its feelings. The 
men finally erected a gallows and proceeded to 
abuse the Tories and all who were friends of them. 

When the gallows had been finished and many a 
threat had been made that the first Staten Islander 
to bring oysters or anything else into the town 
would be hanged upon it, they seemed to find their 
feelings relieved, and the crowd began to sing : — 

Come, join hand in hand, brave Americans all, 

And rouse your bold hearts at fair Liberty’s call ; 

No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just claim, 

Or stain with dishonor America’s name. 

In freedom we ’re born, and in freedom we live ; 

Our purses are ready ; 

Steady, friends, steady ! 

Not as slaves but as freemen our money we ’ll give. 

Our worthy forefathers — let ’s give them a cheer — 

* To climates unknown did courageously steer ; 

Thro’ oceans to deserts for freedom they came, 

And, dying, bequeathed us their freedom and fame. 

The tree their own hands had to Liberty rear’d 

They lived to behold growing strong and rever’d ; 

With transport they cried : “ Now our wishes we gain, 

For our children shall gather the fruit of our pain.” 




48 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


All ages shall speak with amaze and applause 
Of the courage we ’ll show in support of our laws ; 

To die we can bear, but to serve we disdain, 

For shame is to freemen more dreadful than pain. 

The crowd was still singing as the boys walked on 
together toward their homes. 

“ I think things must be pretty crooked over there 
on the Island,” said John. 

“Yes; I hear,” said Joseph, “that lots of the 
Tories are leaving their homes all around here, and 
going there to stay.” 

“ If we could just sink the Island,” said Evart, 
“ when all the Tories get on it, we could get rid o£ 
them as easily as when we drown a rat that ’s been 
caught in a steel trap. I ’m for going over there 
some day and seeing for myself what ’s going on.” 

“We’ll all go over some time,” said John. “I 
wonder if anybody has heard anything more from 
the schoolmaster.” 

“ Not very much,” replied Joseph, “ except that 
he ’s there yet. Oh, I did hear some one say that he 
said you were the cause of all his troubles, and that 
if it had n’t been for you, he ’d have been in Eliza- 
beth Town still.” 

John laughed and said : “I am sorry he thinks I 
made him so much trouble. It does, n’t seem to me 
that I made it at all. Such a red-hot Tory as he is, 
is bound to have trouble anywhere in this country ; 
still, I ’m rather sorry he ’s gone. It ’s changed all 


AN UNFORTUNATE STATEN ISLANDER. 


49 


my plans, but I sha’n’t grieve over that,” he added 
as he left his companions and entered his home. 

A few days after the experience with Johnson and 
his oyster boat, John, as he was going out from his 
gate, met Squire Jonathan Hampton. He thought 
he appeared somewhat excited, but he gave no heed 
to him, till two or three hours later when he returned 
he found him still on the piazza, talking excitedly 
with his father, and both men seemed to be very 
earnest in their conversation. 

John could not hear their words, but when the 
squire came down the walk and passed him, John 
found his curiosity roused at his flushed face, and 
he knew that something unusual had happened, and 
when his father summoned him to come into his 
room, he knew that he was on the eve of hearing 
something that would interest him. 

“ Just see, John,” said his father, “ that there 
is n’t any one in the hall before you come in, and be 
sure and shut the door behind you.” 

John, puzzled somewhat at his father’s unusual 
manner, carefully followed his directions, and enter- 
ing the room, stood in his presence and waited for 
him to begin. 


CHAPTER VI. 


AN ESCAPE IN THE FOG. 



HE young man was touched at receiving his 


father’s confidence, and also at the suppressed 
excitement under which he saw he was laboring. It 
was not often then that a father treated a son of 
John’s age with deference. The boys at that time 
were in sharp subjection to their fathers, and when 
they had arrived at the age to which John had at- 
tained, if they wished to begin life for themselves, 
they frequently had to “ buy out their time.” It was 
considered only just, that when the father had cared 
for the boy in his early years, that when he had be- 
come old enough to be of real assistance^ to his 
father, he should give his time to him until he was 
twenty-one, or else, if he wished it for himself, to 
pay his father for the probable loss of his services. 

Accordingly John was the more surprised to find 
his father treating him in such a confidential way, as 
though he were his equal. He had had a deep 
respect for him, but anything like tencjerness or 
affection was something which he never had ex- 
pected to* receive at his hands. 

“ Squire Hampton has been giving me a great 
piece of news, John, and it may be that I shall have 


AN ESCAPE IN THE FOG . 5 I 

to call upon you for help before his plan is carried 
out,” said Mr. Shotwell. 

John waited in silence for his father to continue, 
as he knew he would not be expected to ask many 
questions. 

“ The ship Beulah has arrived at Sandy Hook 
from London, with an assorted cargo consigned to 
Robert and John Murray. They are old Quaker 
merchants in New York and are supposed to be 
very wealthy. The New York Committee of Corre- 
spondence has ordered the Murrays to send the 
vessel back without breaking the bulk, and they 
have pretended to be willing to do this ; and yet 
Squire Hampton thinks they’re not going to do it 
at all. He has a suspicion that John Murray has 
been over here, and been trying to make an arrange- 
ment with some of the Tories here to land a part of 
his cargo on the sly, and he is also very suspicious 
that some of the people on Staten Island are mixed 
up in the affair, and that either some things are 
going to be landed there, or else that they are going 
to help bring some of the cargo over here. He ’s 
very desirous of finding out how these things are on 
Staten Island, and I ’ve told him that I thought you 
and those two young friends of yours, who are with 
you so much, could help do this.” 

He waited a moment, and as John knew that he 
evidently expected some kind of a reply, he said : 
“ I think we can find out what you want. At least, 


52 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


we will do just what you tell us to, to the best of 
our ability.” 

“ Well, what we want you to do,” said his father, 
“ is to go over there and in a quiet way find out, if 
you can, whether there is any likelihood of any of 
them having been mixed up in this affair.” 

“ Do you want all three of us to go ? ” said John. 

“ Yes ; I think that ’ll be best, although the squire 
thought you had better go alone. He said that 
‘ one boy was a boy, two boys were only half a boy, 
and he did n’t know just how much three boys would 
amount to.’ ” 

John laughed and said : “ I think the squire will 
find out that we boys can help one another, and will 
multiply and not divide the chances of finding out 
what he wants to know.” 

It was in accordance with this suggestion of Mr. 
Shotwell’s that John sought out his companions and 
told them of the proposed plan. They gained their 
parents’ consent to their joining the proposed ex- 
pedition and made preparations to go the next 
morning. 

Early on the following morning the boys met, as 
had been agreed, at the creek, where each of them 
had a little skiff. Each possessor was specially 
proud of his own boat, and many a race had been 
had to test the superiority of the skiffs. The palm 
had not yet been awarded to any one, and the relative 
merits of the boats were still a matter of dispute. 


AN ESCAPE IN THE FOG. 


53 


“ Shall we each one go over in his own skiff?” 
said Joseph. 

“ I don’t think we’d better go that way,” replied 
John ; “do you, Evart ? ” 

“No!” replied Evart; “but we’ll have to use 
more than one, for three of us can’t be carried over 
very well in any one of these skiffs ; they are all too 
light.” 

It was finally decided that John and Joseph should 
go in John’s boat and that Evart should use his own. 
They were not afraid to go openly to the island, 
and yet it was thought wiser for them to go around 
to the other side and land there, and thus avoid any 
possible arousing of suspicions. 

The morning was somewhat foggy and the boys 
were compelled to keep close together ; but they 
landed safely, however, and loitering around the 
dock endeavored to learn, by listening to the con- 
versation of the men, what had been happening of 
late on the island. 

They were fortunate above their hopes, and found 
it a topic of open conversation that John Murray 
had been over to Elizabeth Town and had arranged 
for a sloop belonging to Isaac Woodruff to be taken 
by Captain Samuel Lee to New York with a cargo, 
and that then he was to go down to Sandy Hook 
and come alongside the Beulah, and be loaded up 
from her cargo. 

The Staten Islanders were to have a part in the 


54 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


enterprise, and the sloop was to land there on her 
way back to Elizabeth Town from Sandy Hook, and 
either leave some of her cargo, or find out what was 
best to be done. 

The conversation of the men was filled with 
expressions that were bitter against the Whigs and 
all their doings. John several times had to restrain 
Joseph from replying hotly to some of the rabid 
expressions which they heard. 

“ Come on, now,” said he at last quietly to his 
companions, “ we ’ll go back ; we ’ve found out what 
we want, and the squire and father will be waiting 
for us.” 

“ Let ’s go round by the way where Chase lives,” 
said Evart. “ I ’d like to see the old Tory. I 
wonder if he carries a cushion around with him 
yet ; ” and he laughed heartily as he recalled the last 
time they had seen the schoolmaster and his frantic 
efforts to get away from the darning-needle. 

“Those little fellows on the front row thought 
the master was going to jump for them, I guess,” 
said Joseph, “ when they saw him coming over the 
table.” 

“ He was a pretty good hand at leapfrog,” said 
Evart. “ I wonder if a darning-needle would n’t help 
us all to jump a little higher? ” 

In this way, talking as they went, they soon 
arrived at the place where they had heard the school- 
master was living. John was thinking of the demure 


AN ESCAPE IN THE FOG. 


55 


little Hannah fully as much as he was of the 
schoolmaster, and wondering whether he would have 
a glimpse of her or not. He was compelled to con- 
fess to himself that it was the thought of her, more 
than of the master, which had made him yield to the 
wish of the boys to return by the way of the 
schoolmaster’s house. He knew that they ought to 
hurry back with the news they had gained, and yet, 
as the walk would take but a few additional minutes, 
he had yielded to his companions, against his own 
better judgment. 

“ He must live somewhere around here,” said 
Joseph, “ but this fog is so thick I can’t see far 
enough ahead to tell.” 

“There’s somebody coming right ahead of us,” 
said Evart ; “let’s ask him where Schoolmaster 
Chase lives.” 

“We will,” said Joseph, and he started to hail the 
stranger, when a cry of dismay fell from their lips, 
for the approaching stranger was none other than 
the Tory schoolmaster himself. 

He at once had recognized the boys when he had 
come close to them, and all his previous rage came 
back again. 

Without a word he started for them, and the boys 
without thinking of the power which lay in their 
superior numbers, and with the former feeling of 
respect for his office still present, started on the run. 

The schoolmaster pursued them, and they heard 


56 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


him call out, “ Sic 'em, Tige ! Sic ’em ! ” and then 
they knew that the savage dog, which he had kept 
in Elizabeth Town, was with him on Staten Island. 

They ran as rapidly as they could, but hearing the 
voices of men ahead of them also, they turned 
quickly into the bushes by the roadside, and leaping 
across the little brook which flowed there, they 
waited for the approach of the enemy. The dog 
showed no disposition to come over where they 
were, and they could hear the voices of the men in 
conversation. “It was right in here that they went, 
I ’m sure,” they heard one say. 

“ Well, they ’vq probably gone away,” said the 
schoolmaster, “ or the dog would follow them.” 

The boys waited for a half-hour, and concluding 
from the silence, and the time which had elapsed, 
that it would be safe for them now to go on, they 
recrossed the brook and started again down the 
road. The fog was thicker than before, and they 
were in constant fear of losing their way. Sud- 
denly they heard the sound of the dog again behind 
them and they once more started on a run. 

“ We ’ll run as far as we can,” said John, “ and 
then if the dog comes up with us, we ’ll have it out 
with him. We’re not far from the boats and I 
think we can reach them.” 

They ran rapidly, and familiar as they were with 
the localities of the island, they soon came to the 
place where their boats were. They now heard the 





il 


SIC ’EM, TIGE ! SIC ’EM ! ’’ 



AN ESCAPE IN THE FOG. 


57 


dog close behind, and without a word they hurried 
on, and leaping into their skiffs were soon beyond 
his reach. But they had no sooner taken their 
places than they heard a cry from Evart : — 

“ I have n’t any oars. Come over here and take 
me in tow.” 

“ We have n’t any either,” replied Joseph in a 
moment. It was a sad predicament in which they 
found themselves. The tide was rapidly going out, 
and without any oars, in the fog which was so thick 
that Evart was soon beyond their sight, and out of 
the sound of their voices, they drifted on. They 
tried to paddle with their arms, but found they 
could make no headway. They called again to 
Evart, but as no reply was received they knew that 
he must have drifted far from them. They looked 
into each other’s faces with dismay, not knowing 
what they should do. 


CHAPTER VII. 


A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. 

A /TR. SHOTWELL waited until late that night 
for the boys to return. With the approach 
of darkness the mother had become very anxious, 
and as the hours passed on her anxiety increased. 
Her husband tried to assure her that the boys would 
be all right, and that they had probably stopped for 
the night at the home of Joseph or Evart. 

“ That is n’t like John,” said Mrs. Shotwell. “ He 
would have come straight here if he had n’t met with 
some misfortune. I know something has happened 
to him. They were altogether too young for the 
errand on which you, have sent them. Poor boy ! ” 
and she began to weep. 

The sight of her distress caused Mr. Shotwell to 
go around to the homes of the other boys at mid- 
night, and to inquire whether they had returned and 
were passing the night there ; but he found the 
same distress in the other homes which was in his 
own, although the friends had tried to persuade them- 
selves that the boys must have gone home with John, 
and were spending the night with him. 

Together the men went down to the creek, to the 
place where the boys usually kept their skiffs ; but 

58 


A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. 59 

when they found that they were not there, they 
knew the boys could not have returned. 

Early the next morning Mr. Shotwell took a skiff 
and went over to Staten Island. He had not told 
his wife, but he had his own suspicions that School- 
master Chase might know something of their 
whereabouts, and he was determinined to seek him 
out first. 

He found him at his home and met anything but 
a cordial reception from the Tory. When he had 
stated the object of his coming, the schoolmaster 
assured him that he did not know where the boys 
were. 

“ Did n’t you see them at all ? ” said Mr. Shotwell. 

The schoolmaster hesitated. He could not say 
that he had not seen them, for he had ; and yet he 
did not like to confess to the angry man before him 
that he had set his own dog upon them. But little 
by little Mr. Shotwell learned that the schoolmaster 
had met the boys and followed them down the road 
on their way home. 

“ The last I saw of them,” said the schoolmaster, 
“ was when they jumped into their boats and pushed 
off from the shore.” 

“ Then they must have started for home,” said 
Mr. Shotwell quietly. 

“ I have no doubt of that,” said the master, “ and 
while I have no love for them, for they have made 
me trouble enough,” he added bitterly, “ I feel sure 


6o 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


you ’ll find them over in Jersey somewhere, if they 
did n’t lose their way in the fog.” 

“ That ’s just it,” said Mr. Shotwell quickly ; “ why 
did n’t I think of it before? Yesterday we had the 
worst fog I ’ve seen in years, and that ’s probably 
what ’s become of them — they ’ve lost their way in 
the fog.” And, glad to put an end to the unpleas- 
ant interview, he quickly left the schoolmaster’s 
house and started on his return. 

He was more anxious than he cared to acknowl- 
edge, even to himself, and yet if they had been 
carried out of their course in a fog, he trusted that 
they might have been drifted down the shore and 
landed somewhere along the coast. In that event 
they would probably be home by this time, and he 
pulled a little harder at his oars, hoping that events 
would prove the correctness of his surmise. As he 
walked up the street he fell in with Squire Jonathan 
Hampton, who walked along with him, telling him 
of the exciting events through which he had passed 
in the morning. 

“ They did take Woodruff’s sloop,” said Mr. 
Hampton, “ and after they had gone to New York 
they did go down to Sandy Hook last night — I 
don’t mean the boys, but these men we were watch- 
ing. About dusk Captain Lee went to his berth and 
went to sleep, and at twelve o’clock they called him, 
and he with John Murray and some others sailed 
for Elizabeth Town. They stopped a little while at 


A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. 6 1 

Staten Island, but came on and reached Barnet’s 
storehouse about one o’clock in the morning. They 
landed about two tons of bales and boxes and such- 
like stuff, which they ’d taken off the Beulah. Isaac 
Sears wrote me about it, and we ’ve traced the whole 
affair out. Sam Lee has made a deposition that he 
did n’t know anything about what he was doing, and 
we shall let him off. John Murray says he’ll give 
the Committee his check for £200 to build up the 
city hospital — you know we have n’t had any such 
place since the old one was burned, and it ’s likely 
that we ’ll need one pretty soon, too. We ’re to keep 
the goods here, and Murray and Barnet are going 
to send in a petition to Congress for themselves, but 
what the Provincial Congress of New Jersey will do 
I don’t know. I ’m just as much obliged to you,” 
he added as he started to leave Mr. Shotwell, “ for 
what your boys were going to do, but we ’ve had 
friends on the island, and there is n’t a shrewder 
man in New York than Isaac Sears, and between 
them all we ’ve had the affair pretty well ferreted out. 
But what ’s the matter ? ” he added as Mr. Shotwell 
made no reply. “ Did n’t your boys go over there ?” 

“ Yes ! that ’s just it,” replied Mr. Shotwell, 
whose white face and anxious expression appealed 
very strongly to the man by his side. “ I ’ve been 
over there this morning and I ’ve found out that the 
boys were there and that they left the island. I ’ve 
traced them down to the time when they jumped into 


62 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


their skiffs and started for home yesterday afternoon. 
That old Tory, Chase, who was schoolmaster over 
here for a couple of years, knows more about it 
than he ’s willing to acknowledge, I think. If he ’s 
made any trouble for the boys, I shall not let him 
off very easily.” 

“ What time did they leave the island yesterday ? ” 
said Squire Hampton sympathetically. 

“As nearly as I can find out,” said Mr. Shotwell, 
“ it must have been some time late in the afternoon.” 

“ Oh, well they can take care of themselves any- 
where,” said Squire Hampton. “When I said that 
two of them only made a half a boy, I did n’t mean 
what I said, for I ’m sure they can take care of 
themselves, if anybody can.” 

“It’s the fog I’m afraid of,” said Mr. Shotwell. 
“It was very foggy when they started, and I never 
saw a worse fog than we had yesterday. If they 
lost their way in it, they may have been carried out 
to sea.” 

“ More likely they were carried down the coast,” 
replied his companion, “ and I should n’t be sur- 
prised if you found they had made their way home 
by this time. Perhaps they are there now, and 
you ’ll find them when you get there. I think I ’ll 
walk along with you,” he added, “ and see if my 
words are n’t true, although you know ‘ a prophet is 
not without honor, save in his own country.’ ” 

Mr. Shotwell did not reply to his words, and his 


A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE . 63 

anxiety for the safety of the boys was not helped 
very much by the friendly words of his companion, 
whose judgment he usually very highly esteemed. 

The men walked rapidly onward and soon arrived 
at Mr. Shotwell’s home. When they entered, they 
found Mrs. Shotwell waiting for them. Her face 
was haggard, and her eyes showed that she had 
been weeping. She asked no questions, save by 
the eager look which she gave them when they 
came in. Squire Hampton tried to take the place 
of the comforter, and to assure his friends that the 
boys were capable of taking care of themselves, 
and that in all probability they had been carried by 
the tide somewhere down the coast. 

“If that has happened to them, it was hardly to 
be expected that they could have returned by this 
time anyway. Besides/’ he added, “ they may have 
been taken up by some coaster, and in that event it 
may be that they won’t be home for a day or two 
yet ; I should n’t worry about them,” he said. 
“ They are strong and have had lots of experience 
on the water. They will be back pretty soon, I ’m 
very certain,” he added as he left them, promising 
to return soon, or to do anything in his power to 
assist his friends. 

The parents became more and more troubled as 
the hours went by, and they passed another sleep- 
less night. On the following day the news of the 
disappearance of the boys had spread throughout 


6 4 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


the community. Many friends came in with their 
expressions of sympathy, and assurance of their 
hope that the boys would soon be at home again ; 
but the day and the next one also passed, and still 
the wanderers did not return. 

“ We must do something,” said Mr. Shotwell 
finally to his wife, “ besides sit here and wait for 
them to come back. They may be in trouble over 
on the island. I think I ’d better make another 
visit over there. Squire Hampton will go with me, 
I know ; and while it may not do any good, it cer- 
tainly can’t do any harm. You ’ll not leave the 
place, I ’m sure,” he said to his wife as he left her. 

She only shook her head by way of reply, for 
hope had almost left her, and she was sure the boys 
had been carried out to sea. There was a vision 
before her continually of the little boats tossed on 
the angry waves, and the frightened faces turning in 
every direction for help. The neighbors who tried 
to comfort her were as sadly puzzled as she was. 
The entire community soon was greatly stirred, and 
parties were organized for searching along the 
shore, and others besides Mr. Shotwell went over to 
Staten Island to seek for traces of the missing boys; 
but another day passed and not a word came. 

Mr. Shotwell returned to his home, but brought 
no word of comfort. The suspense had become 
almost unbearable. Where were the boys ? What 
had become of the triumvirate? Were they still 


A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. 


65 


living ? Had they been carried out to sea ? Had 
they landed somewhere far down the Jersey coast, 
or had some passing schooner picked them up, or 
had they drifted helplessly on in the fog and been 
lost in the night on the ocean ? 


CHAPTER VIII. 


DRIFTING. 



HEN John and Joseph found that they were 


^ * drifting down the waters of Staten Island 
Sound in the fog, at first they had no feeling of fear ; 
but when they had called to Evart and found that in 
so brief a time he already had been carried beyond 
sound of their -voices, and that the outgoing tide 
was rapidly sweeping them on, they began to think 
that their situation was much more dangerous than 
at first they had thought. 

They had never seen a denser fog. Even in the 
little skiff in which they sat it was with difficulty they 
could see each other’s face. The tide was running 
very strong, and when they realized that it was going 
out, their situation became more and more grave. 

“ Do you think we ’ll be carried out to sea ? ” said 
Joseph with a tremor in his voice which he tried 
vainly to conceal. 

“ I don’t know,” replied John soberly. 

“ Don’t you suppose we might strike the Jersey 
shore somewhere ? ” said Joseph. 

“We might if the tide turned pretty soon,” 
replied John. “ It’s running so strong it seems as 
if it must be almost out.” 


66 


DRIFTING. 


6 7 


“ Let ’s try again to make Evart hear,” said 
Joseph; and the boys united in a call which they 
sent forth across the waters ; but in the silence 
which followed, no sound was heard but the lapping 
of the waves against the boat in which they were 
carried. 

“ Which way is north ? ” asked Joseph. 

“ I ’m sure I don’t know,” replied John dolefully. 
“ Evart ’s lost and so is our direction. It ’s like 
walking around a room in the dark; you never can 
tell where anything is, nor find the door so that you 
can get out.” 

The boys drifted on, and the turn in the tide for 
which they were waiting did not come. Several 
times they thought they were near boats, but no 
reply came to the calls which they gave ; and again 
when they thought they were approaching the shore, 
the fog lifting for a moment, revealed to their eager 
gaze nothing but the waters on every side. 

In this way they drifted on, and the darkness soon 
began to settle around them. The heavy fog had 
made their clothing wet, and, hungry and cold, their 
fears increased with the oncoming darkness. Their 
conversation soon ceased, and the monotonous lap- 
ping of the waves against the boat was soon the 
only sound to be heard. 

Joseph, who was much more impulsive than his 
companion, quickly responding to a call for action 
and as quickly abandoning the course he had 


68 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


adopted when discouragements came, soon stretched 
himself in one end of the boat, and John covered 
him with such wraps as they had brought with them. 
The rocking of the boat, and the deep stillness in 
the darkness of the night, soon made Joseph forget 
his troubles, and in response to a question which 
he had put to him, John remarked to himself in a 
low tone: “ Well, he ’s forgotten it all ! I only wish 
I could.” 

John tried to improvise a rudder, but his attempts 
failed ; and even if he had succeeded, he would not 
have known in which direction to steer his little 
craft, as the points of the compass were all confused. 
Thoroughly discouraged and worn out by his use- 
less endeavors, John several times found himself 
nodding ; and, dangerous as such a course was, he 
slid down into the bottom of the boat, and covering 
himself with a heavy coat, was soon as sound asleep 
as his companion was. 

When John was awake the next morning, the fog 
had nearly disappeared, and at first he had some 
difficulty in recalling the events of the previous day, 
and the situation in which he found himself. 

He- was stiff and sore, and at first he thought it 
would be impossible for him to move ; but he 
soon determined that it was time for action, and 
without waking Joseph he sat up and looked about 
him. 

Not a sight of land could he gain. The breeze 


DRIFTING. 


69 


had been stiffening and the boat was rocking more 
than it had been during the night. The fog was 
nearly gone, and John at first was not certain as to 
whether the skiff was moving or not ; but tossing 
overboard a small piece of wood which he found in 
the boat, he soon saw that it was left behind, and 
then he knew that they must be moving quite 
rapidly, but in what direction he could not tell. 
The wind became stronger, and evidently they were 
being swept on by the tide also ; but John could not 
tell at first whether it was coming in or going out. 
Joseph soon opened his eyes, and plainly had as 
much difficulty as John in recalling the events which 
had led up to their present situation. 

“ Come on, Joe,” said John ; “ it isn’t quite clear 
enough to see how far we are from land, but there ’s 
a good stiff breeze blowing, and I think it must be 
toward the shore.” 

“ Well, let’s stand up and hold out our coats, and 
maybe the wind will send us ashore sooner,” said 
Joseph. 

Both boys at once stood up, and stretching forth 
their coats found that the wind soon caught them, 
and the speed with which they were being carried 
forward was more than doubled. 

As the fog lifted and the sun rose, they were 
certain that they could see land in the distance and 
in the direction in which they were being carried. 
They had little inclination for conversation, however, 


70 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


and doggedly they held their places and found that 
they were rapidly approaching the shore. 

“ I don’t know how we’ll get ashore, John,” said 
Joseph. 

“ Well, we’ll try that after we get nearer,” replied 
John. “What I’m after just now,” said he as he 
changed his position slightly, “ is to get the man in 
that boat ahead of us to notice us ; ” and he called 
his companion’s attention to a boat not far away 
from them, but which seemed to be headed in 
another direction. 

“ Now, let ’s call out together,” said Joseph, whose 
spirits returned in a moment. “ When I say ‘ three’ 
let ’s shout ‘ hallo ! ’ together ; ” and the boys together 
shouted at the top of their voices, but evidently 
they were not heard, as the other boat kept steadily 
on its way. 

Again and again they shouted and waved their 
coats, hoping in some way to attract the attention 
of the man who was in the other boat, but who as 
yet had not noticed their presence or heard their 
calls for help. 

Again and again the boys called, and were almost 
in despair when Joseph said: “ He’s coming about; 
I think he’s heard us. Now let’s give him another 
and a loud one this time ; ” and once more the boys 
shouted as they had not done before. 

It was plain that the man had become aware of 
their presence at last, and had changed his course 


DRIFTING. 


71 


so as to come near them. The water was rough 
now, and the little boat was tossed constantly by 
the waves. Sometimes they almost lost sight of the 
approaching stranger and their hopes would dis- 
appear, but again he would be seen, and as they 
were certain that he was coming in their direction 
now, they waited as patiently as possible for him to 
approach. 

At last the stranger drew near. They saw that 
there was but one man on board, and they caught 
a glimpse of his face as he looked toward them, 
evidently greatly puzzled at finding two boys adrift 
on the open sea in a little skiff, without oars or 
a sail. 

The spray had washed over them so constantly 
since the water had become rough, that the boys 
were chilled through, and were so cold that they 
could hardly talk. 

They managed to make the stranger understand 
the predicament in which they were, and with many 
an expression of sympathy he soon drew them along- 
side his own boat, and taking the little skiff in tow 
he received both the boys on board, and wrapping 
them in heavy coats, placed them in the little cabin 
below, and at once changed his course. 

“ I was going down along the shore,” he ex- 
plained to the boys, “ but I ve got a cargo sooner 
than I thought I should, so I ’ll just put back home 
with you and let mother look after you. Where are 


7 2 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


you from ? ” but when he saw that the boys were 
almost unable to talk, he continued, without waiting 
for a reply : “I’m going into Great South Bay. My 
home ’s over by Patchougue. There, there, never 
mind,” he said soothingly to the boys, “ you ’ll soon 
be all right, I don’t care where you came from, I ’ll 
send you back home all fixed up. Mother’ll fix 
you, for she knows just how. Why, many’s the 
time I ’ve been out to my lobster pots, and come 
back home most as chilled as you be, and she ’s 
fixed me up right away. It won’t be long before 
we get there, for the wind ’s right with us. ’T war 
mighty lucky ye had the wind with ye, but I do 
wonder what you two younkers were adoin’ out here 
in such a night as this, with nary a sail nor a oar. 
But there, there,” he added, “you can tell me all 
about that by-and-by ; ” and he left the boys to give 
his entire attention to the boat, and it was not long 
before the skipper had brought her to the little dock 
which he owned, and had assisted the boys up to 
the little house which he called his. 

A few hurried words of his to his wife explained 
to her all he knew about the visitors. She met him 
at the door and looked down upon the boys in such 
a compassionate, gentle way, that both of them felt 
drawn to her at once. She seemed to know just 
what to do, and it was not long before the boys, fed 
and warmed, were revived and their spirits rose 
again. 


DRIFTING. 


73 


When John told the story of their adventures to 
Mr. and Mrs. Gaines, including that of their escape 
from the schoolmaster, he received many warm ex- 
pressions of approval from his hearers. 

“That’s just the trouble with them Tories. 
There’s lots of them around here, and they aren’t 
very good neighbors neither, but I ’ve got a boy 
that lives up at Salem — that ’s in Massachusetts you 
know — and he’s just told me about the great per- 
formance they ’ve had near there,” said Mr. Gaines. 

“ What was that ? ” asked John. 

“ Why, it seems,” said Mr. Gaines, “ that General 
Gage had heard that there was some brass cannon 
deposited near Salem, and so he sent a regiment 
of the king’s troops to seize ’em. They sent the 
troops to Marblehead in a transport, which appar- 
ently was manned just as usual. This was on Sun- 
day, and between two and three o’clock in the 
afternoon, and most of the folks had gone to meet- 
ing. The first thing you knew the decks were 
covered with soldiers, and they loaded their guns 
and fixed their bayonets and landed right there, and 
started right off for the cannon. Some of the folks 
had suspicions that they were bound for Salem to get 
those cannon, so they sent some messengers ahead. 
Ye see these things were on the north side of the 
North River and they could n’t get over there without 
crossing a bridge, and a part of that bridge was a 
draw, so that they could let vessels go through ; but 


74 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


the folks was a- watching, and when the first part of 
the king’s regiment came they pretended to march 
farther down stream. They thought they might get 
most of the folks to go there, but it did n’t work 
very well, for the people had turned up the bridge 
before this anyway. Ye see the soldiers, they pushed 
right on to the bridge without knowing that it had 
been turned up, and they were pretty mad when they 
found they could n’t cross. Colonel Leslie turned 
round and ordered one of the company to fire at 
some men on the other side of the drawbridge, but 
Captain John Felt, one of the townsmen there, who 
had kept right along by the side of the colonel all 
the way, said to him: ‘Ye’d better not fire; ye 
have n’t any right to fire, and if ye do, ye ’ll all be . 
dead men.’ ” 

“What did they do ? ” said Joseph excitedly. 

“Well, they didn’t fire,” said Mr. Gaines dryly. 

“ It seems the colonel went back to the centre of 
the regiment and consulted with his officers, and 
then he said he ’d hold his ground there and go over 
that bridge if it took a month. Captain John said 
he might stay there as long as he wanted to, no one 
cared for that. There were a couple of large gon- 
dolas there aground, and the men were going to 
scuttle them for fear the soldiers would use them. 
About twenty of the soldiers jumped on to one of 
them and tried to drive off the owner, but he cut a 
hole in the boat before they could do it. Then they 


DRIFTING. 


75 


commenced to talk with the colonel, and asked him 
what he was after. He told them that he had orders 
to cross over that bridge and that he must obey 
them if his life was the forfeit, and they finally fixed 
it up so that he said that if they ’d let down the 
bridge so that he could live up to the letter of 
the general’s order, he would n’t go over thirty 
rods from it ; and as the Salem folks had been 
using the hour and a half in getting the cannon 
all right and out of sight, they let down the draw, 
and the soldiers marched over, and then marched 
back again ” 

The boys laughed and said : “ That ’s about like 
some of the Tories in New Jersey. They talk more 
than they do, and a good many of them are perfectly 
willing to take either side, and if they think that ’s 
the one which is going to win, why, they ’re with 
that ; and if the other, they ’ll side with them ; but 
we want to start for home pretty soon.” 

“ Well, you can’t go to-day, boys ; you ’re in 
no shape to walk, and that shell of yours is no 
good.” 

“ Well, but we must go,” said John. “ Our folks 
don’t know where we are, and my mother will be 
greatly frightened at our absence.” 

“ I know that,” said Mr. Gaines, “ and I shan’t 
keep you, but to-morrow I ’m goin’ to drive across 
the island, and then sail across the sound to New 
Haven, and ye ’ll get a chance there to catch a ride 


76 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


to New York. Some time I ’ll bring the skiff along 
and send word to you where I leave it, when I come 
to New York, but ye’ll have to wait till to-morrow 
before ye start.” 

The boys decided that there was nothing else for 
them to do, and so they agreed to the proposal of 
the kind-hearted man who had rescued them from 
their perilous position on the sea. 


CHAPTER IX. 


JOURNEYING TO NEW YORK. 

/^\N the following morning the boys started with 
Mr. Gaines to drive across the island. The 
road was rough and had been but little used, and 
the cold wind of the winter day made them glad to 
draw closely about them their heavy coats. They 
had but little conversation during their drive, and it 
was not very long before they had arrived at the 
other side of the island, where Mr. Gaines made 
arrangements to leave his horse and take a boat 
in which he was to sail across the sound to New 
Haven. 

The boys gave him all the help that lay in their 
power, and the thought of going home again kept 
them bright and eager. 

Mr. Gaines had many a story to tell them of the 
experiences through which he had passed, and of the 
doings of the Tories and the patriots. He read to 
them from Rivington’s Gazette the indignant protest 
of some Tory who complained that the Boston 
papers would not publish his words, and who gave 
himself the warlike name of ‘ Belisarius,’ and who 
went on to say that ‘ the high sons of liberty ’ con- 
sisted of but two sorts of men. The first of these 


77 


78 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


were the worthless poor, who were glad to have 
property destroyed, and the other was the ministers 
who, instead of preaching to their churches meek- 
ness, sobriety, attention to their different employ- 
ments, and the steady obedience to the laws of 
Britain, belched from the pulpit ‘ liberty, independ- 
ence, and the steady persistence in endeavoring to 
shake off their allegiance to the mother country. 
The independent ministers ever have been, since the 
first settling of the Colonies, the instigators and 
abettors of every persecution and conspiracy.’ 

The boys were greatly interested as Mr. Gaines 
read to them this little comment which the indig- 
nant Tory had made upon the tendency of the 
people, and started Mr. Gaines to talking more of 
the incidents and events of the times, many of 
which he knew so well, that were transpiring among 
the excited people of the Colonies. 

“Tar and feathers are getting to be quite the 
thing, boys. The people of Boston repealed the act 
that allowed it, but the king’s troops thought they ’d 
keep it up, so one of the soldiers the other day saw 
an honest countryman asking where he could buy a 
flintlock. The soldier told him he could sell him 
one cheap, so the countryman bought it, not know- 
ing that it was against the law to trade with the 
soldiers. Well, the soldiers then just took him and 
locked him up all njght, and the next morning, 
instead of taking him before the magistrate as they 


JOURNEYING TO NEW YORK. 79 

ought to, the officers condemned him without a 
hearing to be tarred and feathered. And so the 
soldiers took him and stripped him, and covered him 
with tar and feathers, and mounted him on a one- 
horse truck, and with a guard of twenty soldiers, 
with fixed bayonets and all the drums and fifes of 
that beastly forty-seventh a-goin’, and with a lot of 
officers and negroes and sailors, they marched him 
up and down the principal streets of the town. Then 
they fixed a label on his back, on which they wrote 
‘ American liberty, or a specimen of democracy.’ 
And as if that was n’t enough, they had their drum- 
mers and fifers play ‘Yankee Doodle’! That’s a 
good piece of work, is n’t it, for British soldiers, who 
one time were the terror of the world ? ” 

“ Well, have n’t we ever done anything of the 
kind ? We ought to pay them back,” said Joseph 
angrily. 

“ Oh, yes,” said Mr. Gaines ; “ it ’s very much the 
thing for both sides. The other day I heard about 
a man in Connecticut who was a rank Tory, and 
he ’d been off somewhere and bought a goose. 
Well, he was coming home with that live goose 
under his arm, when he fell in with three or four of 
his neighbors, who were Sons of Liberty, and as 
strong in their belief as he was in his. The old 
Tory had a pretty wild time with them, and the 
other men got so angry at last that they made him 
march on in front of them, while they killed his 


8o 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


goose and painted him all over with tar, and then 
covered him with the feathers of his own goose, 
which they made him pick.” 

Both the boys laughed, and John said : “ There ’s 
a man down in New Jersey who got it worse than 
that. There was an old Tory coming into market 
one day with a lot of chickens to sell, and he got 
into an argument with some of the men, and they 
stopped him and made him pick his own chickens. 
Then they used the feathers, and gave him a coat 
which they said would keep him warm, and if it 
did n't, they said they ’d give him another one, which 
they ’d make as hot as his words were.” 

In this way the boys sailed on, listening to the 
conversation of Mr. Gaines, and learning many 
things about the condition of the country which they 
had not heard before. 

“ There ’s a good deal of excitement,” said Mr. 
Gaines, “ all through Massachusetts. I hear they 
had a mob in Berkshire last summer that drove the 
justices from their seats and shut up the courthouse. 
They took Daniel Leonard out of his house at 
Taunton, too, and then fired shots into the house 
and made him leave for Boston.” 

“ What for ? ” said Joseph. 

“ Oh, because they were such rank Tories in both 
cases, and the people have become very indignant 
at them, and while I don’t believe in their poisoning 
horses, as they say they did Brigadier-General 


JOURNEYING TO NEW YORK. 8 1 

Ruggles’, still when men are ground doWn all the 
while they have to make some protest. They had a 
mob of about four thousand that gathered and made 
Lieutenant-Governor Oliver at Cambridge leave his 
house, and go to Boston for refuge ; and then at 
Worcester about five thousand of them got together 
one day and would n’t let the Court of Common 
Pleas set. They made all the judges and sheriffs 
pass up and down the two files of the crowd, and 
read their promise that they would n’t hold court, 
about thirty times. They did pretty much the same 
thing at Taunton, and Middleborough, and Spring- 
field, and a good many other places. People are 
getting pretty well stirred up, and there ’s no know- 
ing when the end will be.” 

When the boys had crossed the sound and left 
the boat, as they approached New Haven they saw 
several men watching a man who was going through 
a military drill. An Irishman stood in front of 
him and was enjoying the spectacle greatly, and 
adding many words of his own. 

The boys stopped for a moment and listened as 
they heard him say : “ Arragh and begorra ! The 
Britishers took me out of the ould home more nor 
eighteen years ago and, bedad ! will I not meet wid 
the crowd when I see even the preachers a-larnin’ 
how to fight wid de gracious sovereign.” 

The boys were the more interested as they 
noticed that the man who was going through the 


82 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


manual exercises was a minister, and they waited a 
moment as they saw a man who was passing by, 
stop and take the preacher to task for his doings. 

“ Have you given up your spiritual for the soldier’s 
profession?” the stranger asked indignantly. But 
when the crowd, which had quickly gathered, began 
to shout and jeer, and he heard the words “tar and 
feathers ” mentioned several times, he beat a hasty 
retreat, and the boys passed on. 

“I’m going to take you to the tavern over here,” 
said Mr. Gaines. “ It ’s where almost everybody 
stops that’s going to New York, and mebbe you 
can get a chance to work your passage by helping 
some of these men drive their cattle.” 

The boys laughed, and said they were willing to 
do that if they had to, but if they could get a chance 
to ride they should very much prefer it, as it would 
bring them home much sooner. 

It was not long before a man entered with whom 
Mr. Gaines was acquainted, and who on the follow- 
ing day was to drive to New York. The boys made 
arrangements to go with him, and then turned to see 
how they might spend the intervening time. In the 
evening there was quite an assemblage of men in 
the tavern, and the boys listened with much interest 
to the conversation, which turned largely upon the 
problems of the times. 

One man told about a caricature he had seen of 
some of the Philadelphia people who were unwilling 


JOURNEYING TO NEW YORK. 


83 


to stand with the others in their protests. It repre- 
sented a lot of old women of the male gender 
begging for tea. 

The company laughed as the story was told, and 
another told how the Virginians and the Marylanders 
were joining with the New Englanders very warmly, 
in withstanding the tyranny of Great Britain. There 
was one young man there who seemed but little 
older than the boys, but who, in spite of his youth, 
was one of the most eager of the men in the assem- 
bly. The boys learned that his name was Aaron 
Burr, and it came out in the course of the conversa- 
tion that while his home then was among the hills 
of Connecticut, his early home had been at Elizabeth 
Town where they lived, and that he had grown up 
there, and that Tapping Reeve, the teacher of the 
grammar school, had fitted him for Princeton College, 
and afterwards married his sister. 

He told the boys that his Uncle Timothy, the 
oldest son of Jonathan Edwards, had married Rhoda 
Ogden, of Elizabeth Town, and had lived there 
until 1771, and how he and his sister, when he was 
five years old, were left orphans, and had been taken 
into their uncle’s home. 

The boys left the company early in the evening, 
and went to the room which had been given them. 
Long before it was light, on the following morning, 
they had eaten their breakfast and started on their 
journey to New York. It was late on the second 


8 4 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


day when they arrived, and they were in some per- 
plexity as to what was best to be done. 

“ If we could only get across the North River/’ 
said Joseph, “ we could start for home at once.” 

“ But you don’t want to walk out there in the 
night,” said their companion. “ You had better 
come and spend the night with me ; there ’s no 
knowing what may be going on in the city, and if 
you have to walk home, it will be a great deal easier 
for you to go in the daytime than at night. I ’ll try 
and start you both in the morning, but this night 
you ’d better spend with me.” The boys decided to 
accept his cordial invitation, and they went with this 
stranger to his home. 


CHAPTER X. 


FOUND AND LOST. 

' | 'HE next morning, the boys noticed before they 
started for the ferry across the North River, 
a union flag with a red field, which was hoisted on 
a liberty pole at the Exchange. As they saw the 
people were assembling about it, they determined to 
wait and watch events. Some of the crowd also 
brought a large union flag with a blue field, and on 
one side was printed, “ George III. Rex, and the 
Liberties of America : no popery.” On the other 
side were the words, “The Union of the Colonies, 
and the Measures of the Congress.” 

Soon some of the officers, and several of His 
Majesty’s Council, and also some of the Tories 
came to the meeting, and confusion at once arose, 
and for a time there was serious trouble threat- 
ened, but the chairman of the committee finally 
quieted the assembly, and they proceeded delib- 
erately to discuss the appointing of delegates for 
the Congress. 

The boys were greatly interested in the assembly, 
and the threatened riot was not altogether distasteful 
to them ; but when they saw that all things were 

becoming quiet once more, they at once went down 

8 S 


86 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


to the ferry and arrived just in time to find a boat 
which carried them across. 

When they landed upon the Jersey shore, they 
looked about to see what arrangements they could 
make for being carried to Elizabeth Town, but as 
they could find no parties going in that direction, 
they resolved to walk. 

“ It ’s only a dozen miles anyway, John,” said 
Joseph. “ Let ’s start off on foot. I’m in a hurry 
to get home.” 

“So am I,” replied John, “and many’s the time 
we walked double that distance when we ’ve been 
chasing the rabbits in the woods.” 

Accordingly, the boys started forth at a rapid pace, 
and passed through the settlements that lay between 
New York and their home. When they had come 
to a little place called Bergen, they stopped a 
moment to rest beneath a tree in front of a house 
which evidently belonged to one of the prosperous 
families of the town. They had hardly taken their 
stand there, when the door of the house opened, 
and a young girl came forth and started down the 
street. 

“John, did you see who that was ? ” said Joseph. 

“Why, it’s Hannah,” replied John as he started 
down the street on the run, and soon overtook her. 
In the course of his conversation with her, he 
learned that the disappearance of the boys was 
known throughout all that community, and she told 


FOUND AND LOST. 87 

him also of the visit of his father to the school- 
master on Staten Island. 

“ Master Chase is over here now,” said Hannah. 
“ I don’t want you to meet him ! ” 

“ I ’m not afraid of him,” said John boldly. 
“ When I was in his school I tried to do what he 
wanted me to, but he ’d better not try to use any of 
his authority over me here.” 

“ He’s talking of starting a school over here,” 
said Hannah ; “ and then, I suppose, we shall have 
to come here and live.” 

“ Oh, he never will move away from Staten 
Island. That ’s the best place for traitors and 
Tories,” replied John. 

“Well, he may leave us there,” said Hannah; 
“ but he says he ’s going to start a school over here. 
Oh, dear ! I wish that girls could be as independent 
as boys can. I ’d soon take care of myself without 
any help from him ! ” 

“ Well, why can’t they?” said John. 

“ Why, just look around and see, said Hannah 
half-angrily. “ If a girl likes out-of-door life, they 
call her a tomboy, if she ever does anything that 
they don’t approve. She has to keep her face tied 
up, for fear she ’ll spoil her complexion ; she can 
knit, and wash the dishes, and learn to spin and cook, 
and do samplers, and that ’s about all she can do. 
They let her go to church three times on Sunday, 
and when they say ‘ let ’ they mean 4 make ’ her. 


88 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


She must n’t go anywhere without an attendant, and 
altogether I think her life is a pretty narrow one;” 
and the little maiden spoke bitterly, and yet with a 
heightened color in her face that John thought 
became her amazingly. 

Joseph meanwhile was approaching, and as he 
drew near, he called their attention to the figure of 
Schoolmaster Chase, whom he could see rapidly 
walking toward them. 

When he saw who were there, the master’s face 
grew black, and he acted as if he were going to strike 
them ; but when he saw the boys were not fright- 
ened, he seemed to think better of his intentions, 
and without a word to them he called Hannah to 
come with him, and soon disappeared from sight up 
the street. 

When they came to the bay they found a man 
who would carry them across, and they had hardly 
landed upon the farther shore before they became 
so impatient, and were in such eagerness to see 
their homes once more, that they started on the run 
up the old-fashioned street. 

They had hardly gone half the distance before 
they met Squire Hampton, who looked at them 
blankly for a moment, and then stopped them. 

“ It ’s a good thing you ’ve come home, boys. 
They ’ve been greatly worried about you,” said the 
squire. 

“ Well, we ’ve come as soon as we could,” said 


FOUND AND LOST. 89 

John ; and he briefly told the squire of their 
adventures. 

Once more the boys started on the run, and soon 
separated, each starting for his own home. When 
John drew near to his father’s house, he saw his 
mother standing by the door peering down the 
street. John wondered if she knew he was coming 
and was watching for him ; but in a moment he knew 
that she could not have heard of his arrival, and so 
he called out her name. She started quickly, and 
John at first thought she was going to fall, but he 
was soon at her side and caught her in his arms. 
She said not a word at first, and only stroked his 
hair, and patted his cheeks, as John remembered she 
used to do when he was a little fellow and he had 
stood at her knee ; but, although she used so few 
words, he knew what she would have said if she 
could have spoken, and John thought he never had 
seen so glad a day in all his life before. 

“I’m so glad you ’ve come, so glad you ’ve come,” 
she kept repeating, “ and so will your father be 
when he comes back. He ’ll be here pretty soon, 
too ; ” and it was not long before Mr. Shotwell 
entered the room. He had already heard of the 
arrival of the boys, for the news of their coming 
had quickly spread throughout the town. But John 
thought he never had seen quite so tender an 
expression before on his father’s face. He was 
undemonstrative, as all the men thought they were 


9 o 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


compelled to be to support their dignity in those 
times, but his father on that day was unusually tender 
as he sat by John’s side, and listened to the story 
which he had to tell of his experiences during the 
past few days. 

He was especially interested in the report John 
gave him of the feeling in Connecticut, and when 
his son told him of what he had found out on 
Staten Island, in reply to John’s eager questions he 
described to him what had happened to the rich 
merchant and his cargo, concerning which the boys 
had made their unfortunate visit to Staten Island. 

“ But this is a good day, John, and every one in 
the community seems to be your friend, and as 
pleased as we are that you are safely home at last. 
I shall have the dominie give public thanks next 
Sunday. I think Evart’s people will be rejoiced too, 
for they have been very anxious.” 

“ Evart,” said John quickly, “when did he come? 
Is he home, too ? ” 

“ Why, did n’t he come with you ? ” said his father. 

“ No ! ” replied John, “ we have n’t seen him since 
he disappeared in the fog off Staten Island. He 
seemed to be drifting down the sound the last we 
saw of him, but I thought from the way you spoke 
that he was home.” 

“ No,” said his father slowly, “ I only thought he 
came with you. We will immediately go over and 
see his people.” 


FOUND AND LOST . 


91 


So John and his father at once went over to 
Evart’s aunt’s, where his father and mother had 
come as soon as they had heard of his disappear- 
ance. It was a double disappointment to them 
after learning that the other boys had arrived safely 
at home, to find that no tidings at all had been 
received of their missing boy. 

“I’m afraid he’s lost,” said Mr. Van Slyke. 
“ He would have been home long before this if he 
had n’t been.” 

“I hope he’ll come yet, I hope he’ll come,” 
said Mr. Shotwell, though John knew from the ex- 
pression on his father’s face that he had small hopes 
of ever seeing the missing boy again. And when 
the days passed on, and no responses were re- 
ceived to the careful searches which were made 
along the shore, the conviction settled upon almost 
all of the community that Evart Van Slyke had 
been carried out to sea, and had perished in the 
fog. 

The boys joined in these searches, and for many 
days would not give up their hope of finding at least 
some traces of their missing friend ; but when no 
message was received, and not a word could be 
heard of their lost companion, they also lost almost 
all expectation of ever seeing him again. 

The mystery of his disappearance was constantly 
with them, but the excitement of the times in- 
creased so rapidly that the boys, as well as the 


92 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


men, found their time and attention filled. There 
were radical speeches to be heard, and a good many 
secret plans to be carried out, into which the boys 
were more or less drawn. They did not cease to 
think of Evart, however, but they had almost ceased 
to hope. 

One day when they were at John’s house, the 
boys saw Mr. Shotwell walking rapidly up the street, 
and when he had entered his yard, and noticed the 
presence of the boys, he beckoned to both of them 
to follow him, and together they entered his house. 

“ I ’ve great news, great news for you, boys.” 

“What is it? Anything about Evart?” asked 
John. 

Mr. Shotwell shook his head and only said : 
“ I ’ve great news, great news, if it ’s true, and I 
think it is. It ’s the greatest day that ever has been 
seen in my life.” 

The boys in silence, wondering what the cause 
of the excitement was, waited for Mr. Shotwell to 
begin, and soon were as excited as he was at the 
news which he had received. 


CHAPTER XI. 


evart’s experience. 

\ 7HEN Evart Van Slyke found himself drifting 
^ * down the waters of Staten Island Sound, 
at first he had not been frightened. He looked 
about him to see what he could do to help himself, 
and when he found that no oars were in his boat 
he had supposed of course that there were some in 
the other one, and had called to his friends for help. 
When he had received their reply, and learned that 
they were in the same predicament in which he was, 
he was somewhat startled, but not yet frightened. 

He stopped a moment to begin to collect his 
thoughts. While he had no oars in the boat, there was 
almost no wind stirring, and if the fog should soon lift, 
he had no doubt he could make his way to the shore ; 
but when he had drifted on for some time, and at 
last realized that he was being carried quite rapidly 
out by the tide, and that his companions now were 
not merely beyond his sight, but out of the sound 
of his voice, his heart began to sink. Was there 
no help for him ? Wc\uld the fog never lift ? Must 
he be carried out to sea, and drift about for days till 
starvation came to him, or else his frail little craft 
should be overturned in the waters ? 


93 


94 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


The thought of such possibilities started him 
once more into action, and he shouted with all his 
strength for help, but not a sound came through the 
fog, which rapidly was becoming even denser than 
before. 

As the darkness settled around him, Evart re- 
solved that there should be no sleep for him that 
night, but that he would keep careful watch till the 
morning came. Several times during the night he 
thought his boat had drifted near the shore, or else 
was within the hearing of other vessels, but every 
time he found himself deceived, and he grew more 
and more sick at heart with each recurring disap- 
pointment ; but at last the night was over, for all 
things come to an end, and with the rising of the 
sun, the fog began to disappear. 

Soon Evart was able to make out the shore in 
the distance, but he was so far out at sea that he 
was almost hopeless of any help from that source. 
Still, he stood erect and for a long time waved his 
coat, but no one was in sight and his effort was 
unavailing. 

He knew he was drifting, and that quite rapidly, 
by the wake which the little boat left. He thought 
it must be Sandy Hook in the distance, but he was 
not at all certain of his direction, and of course 
he could not tell what any of the land which he saw 
really was. He almost determined to let himself 
down into the water, and try to steer his little craft 


EV ART'S EXPERIENCE. 


95 


ashore by swimming, but he soon gave up that 
project, as he knew he could live but a little 
time in the cold waters of that winter’s morning. 

What should he do ? Not quite hopeless, and 
yet sadly perplexed, he tried to think of some plan 
by which he might save himself from the death 
which threatened him. 

Meanwhile he drifted on and on, sometimes the 
shore appearing nearer, sometimes farther away ; but 
Evart was certain that whatever the appearance of 
things might be he must be drifting out to sea. The 
sun climbed higher, but it seemed only to bring light 
and but little heat to the boy, who was thoroughly 
chilled by this time. His hunger and thirst had so 
increased that he was almost beside himself, and as 
the hours passed and no help came, and no prospect 
of any rescue could be seen, he became more and more 
discouraged, and was about to stretch himself in the 
bottom of the boat for the rest which his exhausted 
condition had now for a long time been demanding. 

Just as he was about to slip off from his seat, he 
glanced behind him, and his heart almost stood still at 
the sight which met his eyes. Far away Sandy Hook, 
if it really was Sandy Hook, looked dim and distant ; 
but between him and the horizon he saw a schooner 
that seemed to be approaching. Excited as he was, 
Evart noticed how rapidly she sailed. But would she 
see him ? Could he attract her attention ? He 
knew that now he was so far away that nothing he 


9 6 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


could do would be likely to be seen on board of her, 
and yet the eager boy, almost frantic now in this last 
hope that had come to him, began to shout, never 
thinking that the sound of his voice could not be 
heard more than one third of the distance between 
him and the approaching schooner. His judgment 
soon taught him that he must save his strength, and 
wait until she was nearer before he tried to 
attract her attention. 

He could see the water thrown up by her bow, 
and knew that she was sailing along at a great rate 
of speed ; and yet to the excited and anxious boy it 
seemed as if she never would come nearer, and 
more than once he questioned whether she had not 
come to anchor. But when she appeared to be only 
about a quarter of a mile away, and he was right in 
the line between her and the shore, he knew that 
his time had come, and standing upon the seat, bal- 
ancing himself as best he could, he placed his hands 
about his mouth and shouted with all the power he 
could command. Then he waved his coat and his 
arms, and shouted again. This he kept up for some 
time. Would she never see his signals ? Had this 
last chance come to him merely to mock him ? 
Must he die out there alone on the ocean ? He 
thought of his home, and the tears began to run 
down his cheeks ; but he resolved to make one 
more effort, and again he shouted and waved his 
coat in his last endeavor to attract the attention of 


E PART'S EXPERIENCE . 


97 


some one on board the approaching schooner. Sud- 
denly he noticed that she came about, and that a 
yawl put forth from her. 

Were they coming for him? His heart almost 
stood still at the thought. Surely they were ap- 
proaching, and he could see the three men who 
were in her now — one in the stern steering, and 
two who were rowing. He shouted once more, and 
this time he could faintly hear their answer to his 
hail. It was not long before they were alongside, 
and he was replying to their questions. 

“ Well, come aboard, shipmate. We ’ll take you 
aboard the schooner,” said one of the sailors ; and 
Evart, almost too exhausted to step from one boat 
into the other, was helped by the men, and hardly 
knew what he was doing or where he was going, 
before he found himself on deck in the presence of 
the schooner’s captain. 

He knew that she was under way, and he also 
was dimly aware that she was going at a very rapid 
speed. He was conscious, too, that the captain had 
asked him some questions, and that he had replied 
to them as best he could ; but it seemed to him 
he must be asleep when he heard the captain say : 
“ We can’t land you. I ’m sorry, but you ’ll have to 
go along with us. We ’re going to the West Indies, 
and for just how long I don’t know; maybe for only 
a few days, and it may be some months before 
we come back to the Colonies.” 


98 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“ Yes,” he said in reply to Evart’s question, “per- 
haps I can send you back, if we don’t bring you. 
There may be some sort of a craft putting out from 
there, and if it does, why, I ’ll try and get you a 
chance. But what you want now is something to eat 
and some sleep ; and when you Ve had that, you 
come and see me again ; ” and he placed him in 
•charge of one of the sailors, whom Evart followed, 
and after he had been rubbed by the rough but 
kind-hearted man, and his hunger had been satis- 
fied, he stretched himself in the bunk and slept 
until the following morning. 

Recalling then the captain’s words, he at once 
reported to him, and in reply to his questions gave 
him a detailed account of the events through which 
he had recently passed. • 

“ I have n’t any love for those Tories, and I don’t 
waste any affection on, England myself,” said the 
captain. “ She has treated America in such a way 
that she has no right to expect anything from her, 
and I think if I can get the best of her I ’m entitled 
to. But I suppose you ’d like to do something to 
earn your passage, would n’t you ? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Evart. 

“ Do you know the difference between a sheet 
and a belaying pin ? ” 

Evart laughed, and told him of his experience 
with boats, and the captain then said : “ I need more 
men. I expected three more to come aboard before 


EVART' S EXPERIENCE. 


99 


we sailed, but they did n’t show up, so I ’ll take you 
and I ’ll give you the same pay as I do the others.” 

“ How much is that?” said Evart. 

“ I see you are a Yankee,” laughed the captain. 

“ No, I ’m not,” said Evart. “ I ’m a New Jersey 
Dutchman.” 

“Well, that ’s all the same,” said the captain, “ for 
they used to say, when I was a boy, ‘ the fault of the 
Dutch was paying too little and asking too much.’” 

It was n’t often that a captain was so good-natured 
as the one who talked with Evart, and he noticed 
how much more intelligent the crew appeared, and 
how many more men there were, than was usually 
the case on board a coaster. 

Evart agreed to go, glad of his escape from his 
perilous position on the ocean, and the captain 
turned him over to one who, he told him, would be 
his messmate, for further instructions. 

“What are you doing? Where are you going, 
anyway ? ” said Evart to his new friend. 

“ Oh, we ’re bound for the West Indies, and 
we ’re going for business too.” 

“ Well, but what is your business ? ” persisted 
Evart. 

“ If you ’re so particular and don’t feel inclined 
to go along with us, you might just step ashore if 
you ’d like to,” said the sailor. 

Evart looked all about the horizon, and as no 
trace of land was in sight he decided that he must 


lOO 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


be guarded and careful in what he said. His only 
hope lay in the men who had rescued him. 

“ Well, what pay do you get ? ” he continued. 
“ The captain did n’t tell me.” 

“ It ’s good pay sometimes and sometimes it is n’t 
so good. It mostly pays better than farming and 
fishing though. The last time we were out we 
struck it rich then, but I ’ve seen the time when we 
did n’t,” said his friend. 

Evart was greatly puzzled, but he was too persist- 
ent to give^jLip his questioning without another 
attempt to find out something about the boat on 
which he found himself, and which was sweeping 
over the waters as he never before had sailed in his 
life. 

“ What cargo do you carry ? It does n’t seem to 
me you have any,” he said. 

The sailor laughed and said : “ We have n’t much 
now, but likely we ’ll have more when we come 
back. It ’s a sort o’ assorted cargo though, mostly 
rum and molasses.” 

“This is a queer kind of a craft,” said Evart at 
length slowly. “ Here you are sailing as I never 
saw a schooner do before in my life. You don’t 
carry any cargo out, and yet you come back with 
good pay. What are you anyway, pirates ? ” 

His companion laughed and said : “ We don’t look 
like pirates, do we ? ” 

“No,” said Evart, “you don’t; that’s true. It’s 


E VART’S EXPERIENCE . 


IOI 


the best looking lot of men I ever saw aboard a 
boat ; but what is the schooner anyway, a merchant- 
man ? ” 

“ Well, she deals in merchandise,” laughed the 
sailor. 

“Well, you haven’t any cargo on board now,” 
said Evart sadly puzzled. 

“ That ’s so,” said the sailor with another laugh. 
“ I ’ll tell you what I wish we did have,” he added in 
a low tone. “ I wish we did have a boatload of 
Tories. I don’t think we ’d pick them up the way 
we did you if they happened to drop overboard. 
You ’re no Tory, are you ? ” he added. 

“ Nay, verily,” replied Evart ; and he told his friend 
of the experiences the boys had with the school- 
master at Elizabeth Town and on Staten Island. 

When Evart depicted the schoolmaster as he came 
up over the desk when the boys had driven the 
needle into him, the sailor slapped his sides and 
laughed loud and long, and insisted upon telling his 
companions also the whole story. 

Evart did not know why, but he could see that he 
rose in their estimation immediately after the recital 
of the story, and when he told about the object of 
his visit to Staten Island, and Jiow he and his com- 
panions had drifted out to sea in the fog, he received 
many warm expressions of sympathy and approval 
for his courage. 

“ Never mind, never mind, you ’ll soon be back 


102 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


home again with money enough to make you rich as 
a lord,” said his friend. 

“ What is it you ’re doing anyway to get so much 
money ? ” said Evart as he glanced half-suspiciously 
from one man to another. 

The men laughed, and one of them said: “You 
can see we ’re not much sailors, can’t you ? We ’re 
mostly fishermen alongshore, though here ’s Ethan 
Cobb, your messmate, he never was any fisherman ; ” 
and the men all laughed at what they considered his 
excellent joke. 

“ No, I never had much luck fishing,” said Ethan ; 
“ that ’s true, but I could make more wooden nut- 
megs than any man in the Colony of Connecticut. 
But come on, my son, if I am not much of a sailor, 
I ’ll be a father to you while you ’re aboard this craft.” 

“Well, what is this craft ? ” said Evart once more, 
as he went below with his friend. 

“ Now, my son, take my advice and don’t ask too 
many questions, and do just as the captain told ye. 
’T ain’t hard work ye ’ll have to do, and best of all 
ye ’ll get good pay ; leastwise ye will if we have any 
sort of luck ; but it ’s about time to turn in now, and 
ye ’ll find out soon enough all ye want to know.” 

Greatly puzzled, Evart followed the example of his 
companion, and as he was preparing to turn in for 
the night, he kept wondering what the strange boat 
was, but found no answer to his questions. He soon 
lost himself, however, and was fast asleep. 


CHAPTER XII. 


A LONG VOYAGE. 



HE next day found Evart in his place among 


x the seamen, if seamen the crew might be 
called. They were familiar with the water, but it 
became more and more evident that they were not 
professional sailors. 

He rejoiced that he had been rescued from the 
death which threatened him ; but when he thought 
of Inis home, and how worried they all must be there, 
and of his companions, and whether they had been 
as fortunate as he or not, he had many sad and 
lonesome moments. What had become of the 
other boys ? Were they still drifting about the 
water? But Evart, naturally a hopeful boy, soon 
came to the conclusion that they must have gotten 
ashore somehow, as there were two of them together, 
and they could help each other, and he began to 
give himself heartily to the work which he had in 
hand. 

There had been times when, like almost every 
boy, he had thought he should like to go to sea, but 
that time had long since passed ; and while thor- 
oughly familiar with the ocean, and accustomed to 
take voyages along the shore as he had been, it was 


104 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


not the attraction of the work he had in hand now, 
but his gratitude for his rescue that made him soon 
become a valuable hand on board the Eel, for 
that, he soon learned, was the name of the schooner 
which had rescued him. 

Ethan Cobb, his messmate, was very kind to him, 
and he soon found his life much more pleasant on 
board than he had ever dreamed it could be ; but 
he could gain no information about the mysterious 
boat, as to what her destination was, or on what 
errand she was bound ; but the crew were all jolly, 
and seemed to be filled with high hopes all the 
time of some good thing happening to them. The 
captain treated them with much more familiarity 
than was usual on board ship at that time, and was 
frequently addressed by some of the sailors by his 
first name. 

More and more perplexed, and yet satisfied that 
whatever the object of the voyage was, it was noth- 
ing that he had to fear, Evart worked on and found 
the time passing more rapidly than he had ever 
known it to before. 

He noticed about a week later, that a much sharper 
lookout was kept, and that all the men had a 
more eager look. Suddenly one day there was a 
great excitement on board. There was a sloop in 
the distance that seemed to be sailing very slowly ; 
it was evident that she was heavily loaded and was 
low in the water. 


A LONG VOYAGE. 


105 

The Eel was headed in her direction at once, and 
the excitement on board became marked. 

“ What are you doing ? ” Evart asked of Ethan, 
near whom he found himself. 

“ You ’ll soon see, my son,” replied Ethan. 
“ Hold on to your patience, just as we ’re going to 
hold on to that British tub over there.” 

“What are you going to do — take her?” asked 
Evart excitedly. “ I thought you told me you 
were n’t pirates.” 

“ No more we are, but men can sometimes be 
privateers without being pirates, can’t they ? ” 

Evart gave a long whistle. “So that ’s what you 
are, is it — privateers ? ” 

Ethan laughed and said : “ That’s about it. You 
see really we ’ve got war with England now, and she’s 
been trying so long to force some of her goods on us, 
and make us pay those taxes she wants, so that she 
can live at ease while we ’re grinding out our lives 
over here, that it ’s only fair for us to let some of 
those goods come in without the taxes too, you see.” 

Evart laughed and turned to watch the pursuit. 
As the Eel drew nearer, the other boat was appar- 
ently trying to exert all her powers to get away 
from her, but she made such slow progress and 
seemed to be so weighted down with her load, that 
she was no match at all for her swift-sailing enemy. 
All the men were alert now, and each vessel’s crew 
seemed to be watching the other. 


io6 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“ Ye ’re not afraid, are ye, my son ? ” said Ethan. 

“Afraid?” said Evart ; “I hadn’t thought of 
that. Is there anything to be afraid of? ” 

“ Well, ye see sometimes they don’t like to give 
up the goods without the taxes being paid,” said 
Ethan dryly. “ It’s nothing but the taxes they care 
for, and that ’s all we care for too ; ” and he slowly 
winked one eye, and pushed the tobacco in his 
mouth from one cheek to the other. 

“ Well, we ’re getting nearer all the time,” said 
Evart. 

“ Oh, yes ! It won’t take long to overhaul her,” 
said Ethan. “ She’s loaded most too heavy, but do 
you see how quiet all the men are ? ” 

“Yes! They ’re too busy watching the chase to 
talk much,” said Evart ; but he ’d hardly spoken 
these words, when suddenly they saw the other boat 
drop from her sides some coverings she had, and 
then they saw the muzzle of a cannon. Before they 
could say anything to each other, a shot rang out, 
-and they saw the ball go skipping along the water 
across their own bows. 

It would be impossible to picture the consterna- 
tion that at once appeared on board the Eel. 

“Trapped, by Gosh! ” said Ethan laconically. 

“ What do you mean ? ” said Evart, whose face 
was pale, and who was afraid of further trouble. 

“Why, she ’s just fooled us as slick as a whistle. 
If she ’d been a Connecticut Yankee, she could n’t 


A LONG VOYAGE. \oj 

’a’ done it better — that’s my native State ye see,” 
said Ethan. 

But the Eel obeyed the summons at once, and 
her progress ceased. They saw a boat put out from 
the sloop, and the men all stood by the rail watch- 
ing it as it approached. An officer in the stern 
wore a uniform which Evart at once recognized as 
belonging to the British navy. 

“Ye see it was just once too often we’ve tried 
it,” said Ethan in a low tone to Evart. “ A good 
many of these privateers have gone out since the 
trouble came up, and Old England has just set a 
trap for us, and we’ve walked into it like a fool 
woodchuck.” 

“ I don’t see the trap,” said Evart. 

“ Why, look right over there and see it,” said 
Ethan. “The reason that ’ere vessel sailed so slow, 
was because she ’s drawing those heavy weights 
behind. Nothing could sail with such a load as that 
dragging at the stern, and ye see she ’s got her 
portholes all covered up with that siding, and no 
one would have thought from her looks that she 
had guns aboard. She did n’t have all her sails set, 
and was n’t moving along at that ‘ poor dying rate,’ as 
my aunt Susan used to say, for nothing ; why, she just 
naturally drew us right on ” — but their conversation 
ceased as the officer came aboard, and declared that 
they were all his prisoners, and that they would have 
to follow him to England. 


io8 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“I’ve been lying around here several weeks 
waiting for you, and the only thing I ’m sorry about 
is that you have n’t any cargo,” he said. “I’m 
going to send some men aboard ; I ’m not much 
afraid of your getting away from me,” he said with 
a laugh, “ but I think it will be a little safer to put 
somebody in charge of this prize, and we ’ll sail for 
England right away. We ’ll try not to part com- 
pany before we get there, either,” he added. 

Accordingly some of the crew of the British sloop 
were transferred to the Eel, and she began to follow 
her leader on the long voyage across the ocean. 

“ What do you suppose they ’ll do with us when 
they get us over there ? ” said Evart to Ethan one 
day. 

“ Hang us,” was the brief reply. 

“Do you mean it?” said Evart aghast. “You 
don’t really think they’ll do that?” 

“That ’s just what they will, for they don’t make 
any difference between pirates and privateers ; but 
they ought to know that it ’s almost war between 
the Colonies and England. They don’t call it war ; 
they call it treason and rebellion ; and you know 
what they do with the men who have a share 
in that. Never mind,” he added, as he saw how 
disturbed his young companion was at his words, 
“ we may give them the slip yet. We shan’t always 
live at ‘ this poor dying rate,’ as my aunt Susan used 
to say.” 


A LONG VOYAGE. IO9 

Evart looked away toward the British sloop. It 
kept just about the same distance ahead of them all 
the time, but always within easy gunshot. The 
only restriction placed upon the^ crew of the Eel 
was, that at night all of them had to keep below. 
In the daytime they took their share in the working 
of the schooner. 

Evart’s thoughts were busy during those days. 
At times he almost wished he had taken his chances 
in his little skiff, and had never come aboard the 
Eel. He remembered how rejoiced he had been 
when he had been rescued, but the danger which 
threatened him now seemed to him to be even 
worse than that which had faced him before. 

Suppose he should go to England and there be 
hanged as Ethan prophesied ? The report would at 
last come back to his home, and the sorrow of his 
father and mother would be double. It would be 
bad enough for them to lose him, without having their 
grief intensified by such a disgraceful death, and 
besides they might think that he had voluntarily 
taken his place on board a pirate, for such he knew 
the English would report the Eel to be. How 
would they ever know that he had been rescued by 
her, and was a member of her crew only by chance, 
and not by choice ? It certainly was a strange ex- 
perience for a boy no older than he to be going 
through. 

Whenever the darkness came, and he went below 


I IO 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


he did not cease to talk over with his messmate 
numberless plans for escaping, but to them all Ethan 
would make no reply. 

“Are n’t you going to try to escape?” said he at 
last one night, more than usually exasperated at 
Ethan’s silence. 

“Not by any such fool plans as you talk about,” 
said Ethan gruffly. “You talk too much, anyway. 
Youngsters were made to be seen, not heard ; ” and 
the sounds that came from Ethan’s bunk soon 
showed that he was fast asleep. 

The long voyage continued. The days were mo- 
notonously alike. When the storms came, the sloop 
kept closer to the Eel, but in fair weather she 
only remained within easy gunshot. 

In this way they sailed on till more than two 
weeks had passed. No land had been seen, and 
Evart, who was full of his projects of escaping, had 
become more and more exasperated at the coolness 
and increasing silence of Ethan. What had come 
over the man ? Was it the fear of being hanged ? 
Had he given up all hope of trying to escape ? He 
quoted “ Aunt Susan ” more frequently than ever, 
and her favorite hymns were almost the only words 
that he would say. 

“ Wait till you get to England,” he would some- 
times remark to Evart after he had made some new 
proposal. “ You talk too much. Wait and see 
what they ’ve got for us there ; ” and Evart, at last 


A LONG VOYAGE. 


I I I 


convinced that Ethan was right, and that all the 
hope, as well as all the danger, lay before him in that 
land, soon ceased to talk of his proposals, and be- 
came almost as silent as Ethan, but his thoughts 
were busy even when consciousness had almost 
ceased, and he continually wondered what strange 
experiences lay before him in England, which every 
day was becoming nearer. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


AN ESCAPE IN THE DARKNESS. 

'C'THAN COBB soon began to have some very 
J strange experiences. For several successive 
days, apparently he would be too ill to appear on 
deck, and at such times Evart became his nurse and 
tried to care for his messmate. He was somewhat 
puzzled, and indeed sadly so at times, at the man who 
claimed to be ill, for when Evart had prepared for him 
his food, it mattered not how much of it he took to 
the sick man, it all disappeared, and the man’s appe- 
tite seemed in no way to suffer from his experiences. 

When Evart, however, ventured to remark upon 
this feature of his friend’s malady the groans of Ethan 
Cobb redoubled in length and depth. The illness 
would last for a day or two, and then Ethan would 
come on deck again for about the same length of 
time. During these intervals he would appear more 
like himself, except that at times he would utter 
the melancholy groans in which he indulged so fre- 
quently when he was below. Evart found him one 
day, when he thought himself unobserved and alone, 
groaning in different accents and tones. 

“ What ’s the trouble ? Do you feel worse ? ” said 
Evart as he approached. 


112 


AN ESCAPE IN THE DARKNESS. 


JI 3 

Ethan only shook his head and made no direct 
reply, and his young friend was more puzzled than 
ever. Their conversation turned upon the exciting 
events through which they had passed, and the 
matter of privateering became the topic for the 
present. 

“ I don’t see what you wanted to do it for, any- 
way,” said Evart. 

“ Well, my son,” replied Ethan, “ we did it to get 
a living, so to speak. Here is old England ; she s 
trying to rob us and we thought we ’d simply stop it. 
We were mere benefactors of the British, — at least 
we wanted to be, — but she objected so soon that our 
plans fell through. You see all along the shore every 
few months we used to send down to the West Indies 
a cargo of lumber. We ’d clear off the land and saw 
up the trees into lumber, and like enough build a 
boat out of that very timber ; leastwise, we ’d load 
her with it and send the whole concern down to the 
West Indies and trade her off for rum and molasses 
and some other good stuff. Since this trouble ’s 
came up, for there ’s been trouble ever since the 
Stamp Act, we Ve just tried to run in some cargoes 
without stopping to report, as it were. We ’d some- 
times get a cargo consigned to us, and sometimes 
we ’d transfer it from one vessel to another, and for 
the last time or two we did n’t just stop to find out 
who the owners were. ’T was most a mortal sin for 
those fellows to do anything to help Great Britain 


I 14 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

rob the Colonies, so we just took the responsibility 
off from them, you see.” 

“Well, I don’t see,” said Evart, “very much dif- 
ference between a privateer and a pirate.” 

“ Oh, well, you will when you get a little older,” 
replied Ethan, as he drew a groan which seemed to 
come from the lowest depths of his soul. 

“Yes,” persisted Evart, “but what about those 
men that owned that cargo ? Just suppose some 
man, who was a loyal British subject, should save up 
his money for a long time and invest it in stuff he 
was going to send to America, and you came along 
and took it all from him, what about him ? ” 

“That would be a leetle hard,” replied Ethan; 
“ but I feel about it a good deal as I do when I go 
out to the barn on my place there in Connecticut to 
kill a hen. Now, I don’t like to kill a hen, but my 
wife, she likes to cook ’em once in a while, so I 
s’pose I ’ll have to kill ’em. So when I take the axe 
and I stretch the poor thing, whose head I ’m going 
to cut off, on the block, I ’most always say to myself, 
‘ Well, I ’m sorry for ye, but ye did n’t have any 
business to be born a hen. If ye did n’t want your 
head cut off, ye ought to have been su’thin’ else.’ 
Well, that ’s about the way I feel about these fellows 
whose goods we took.” 

“ That seemed to be about the way the men that 
took you seemed to feel, too,” replied Evart. 

But the days dragged on, and almost all the 


AN ESCAPE IN THE DARKNESS. \ \ 5 

change that came in their experience was the storm 
that every few days swept down upon them. 

“ Maybe they ’ll lose sight of us,” Evart would 
remark to Ethan in some of these storms, but his 
companion would only shake his head, and when the 
weather had cleared, there, but a little way in 
advance, would always be seen the graceful figure of 
their British captor. 

Ethan’s times of illness seemed to increase as 
their voyage lengthened. As they had no surgeon 
on board, and the officer in command only growled 
about what he called ‘ the skulkers,’ the care of Ethan 
fell almost entirely upon Evart. 

“ Don’t you feel bad, too ? ” Ethan said to him 
one day, and when Evart replied “ No,” he had 
noticed an amused expression on Ethan’s face, and it 
seemed to him that he slowly winked with one eye. 

What was Ethan trying to do ? Could he really be 
ill with such an appetite and the expression upon his 
face that often puzzled him ? Evart was unable to 
decide whether he was really almost dead, or only 
shamming; but if the latter conjecture was true, he 
was utterly at a loss to account for his motive. 

These were lonesome days for the young captive. 
His thoughts often were on distant scenes and 
people. His father and mother, his brothers and 
sisters, and his fellow-members of the triumvirate 
were often in his mind. Were the other boys still 
alive ? He could not know, and as the weary days 


I 1 6 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

passed, he became more and more silent, and lived 
apart by himself. He had but little to do with the 
crew, and the officers in. command were always surly, 
and at times almost savage in their treatment of him. 

But all things have an end, and even a voyage 
across the Atlantic in a small coaster must have a 
limit. 

“ Judging from the appearance of things, and the 
action of the officers, we Ve about reached the end 
of our voyage,” said Ethan to him one day, “ but I 
don’t feel happy over it. Probably we ’ll stretch 
hemp, and the very thought of it makes me sick. I 
don’t feel very well, anyway,” he continued, heaving 
a groan far deeper than his usual one, as he turned 
on his heel and went below. 

It was not long before an English harbor was 
sighted, and in spite of his haunting fear, Evart was 
greatly interested in the sight. He was surprised as 
he found Ethan again at his side, but he asked no 
questions, and his companion merely remarked : “ I 
thought I ’d feel better above.” 

The sight which particularly interested the young 
American was the large number of ships lying at 
anchor within the harbor. To him it seemed as if 
they were almost countless, and as they passed close 
by one which had specially claimed his attention, he 
was startled as Ethan suddenly swung his hat, and 
shouted as loudly as his lungs would permit him, to 
call the attention of some sailors who stood on the 


AN ESCAPE IN THE DARKNESS. I I 7 

deck of the vessel by which they were passing ; but a 
savage blow on the head which made him stagger, 
dealt by one of the officers who had just approached, 
taught Ethan that a salute of the kind he had given, 
was not to be allowed in English waters. 

It was now late in the afternoon, and whfcn Ethan 
and Evart went below, Ethan remarked : “ I ’m just 
hoping and praying that they ’ll leave us aboard for 
the night.” 

“ Why, what else would they do ? ” inquired Evart. 

“ Oh, they might shut us up in some jail. Very 
likely that ’s what they will do to-morrow, anyway ; 
but I ’m glad we ’ve come to anchor just where we 
have, an’ if they ’ll only leave us aboard for the 
night, I shall thank my lucky stars.” 

“ What for ? What do you mean ? ” 

“ Oh, don’t talk, don’t talk,” said the loquacious 
Ethan, whose tongue was seldom silent except when 
he was asleep; “ don’t talk.” 

But when the hours passed, and they found that 
evidently they were to be left on board for the night, 
and all that Ethan had done was to resume his 
groaning, and no prospect of any deliverance had 
come, Evart was much more disappointed than ever 
he had been before. Must he be hanged as a pirate 
so many miles from his own home ? Must his 
parents learn of his dying such a death, and never 
know that he was innocent of the charge which he 
was certain his captors would make against him ? 


I 1 8 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

And Evart again resolved that they should never 
know it, for he determined that he would not give his 
true name, and that if he died, his death should be 
that of a stranger, so far as his name was concerned. 

“ They ’d a great deal better think I was lost at 
sea and drifted on to my death than ever to learn 
that I was taken up by some boat only to be carried to 
England and to be hanged,” he often said to himself. 

When he turned in for the night, it was not to 
sleep. He rolled and tossed, and tried to think of 
some possible way of escape, but no plan presented 
itself that seemed at all feasible. It seemed to him 
that it must have been about the middle of that 
night when he felt a hand laid upon his shoulder. 
He started up quickly, but a warning “ Hush ! ” in 
a low whisper, made him at once silent. 

The hand still rested on him, and for several 
minutes not a word was spoken, nor a movement 
made. The intense darkness prevented Evaft from 
finding out whether the hand was the hand of a friend 
or not, and it seemed to him that nearly an hour had 
passed when he heard a voice, which he recognized 
at once as Ethan’s, whispering in his ear the* single 
word “ Come.” 

“Where ? ” he whispered, but no reply was given, 
save a tightening of the grasp of the hand upon 
his shoulder, 

Evart quickly resolved to take his chances, and as he 
started forth he heard the voice of Ethan as he again 


AN ESCAPE IN THE DARKNESS. I I g 

whispered in his ear: “Take hold of my hand and 
follow me just as quietly and as closely as you can.” 

Slowly, almost inch by inch, they worked their 
way onward and at last stood where they could 
peer out upon the deck. It was so dark at first 
that they could scarcely discern anything, but after 
a little time they could make out the outlines of the 
masts and could see the watch. Gradually all things 
became clearer, and as the watch passed them, 
Evart quickly followed his companion’s sign, and 
together they succeeded in making their way to a 
place behind some casks and coils of rope. There 
they crouched, and in breathless silence waited for 
future events. 

The watch passed so closely by them that they 
could have touched him with their hands, but when 
he was gone, they crawled on again in silence. 
Evidently Ethan had some plan, but just what it 
was Evart could not tell, but he was determined 
to join in it, even though he was fearful that the 
end of it might be death for both of them. 

They made their way slowly on, in the manner 
which ''has been described, until they came to the 
stern. There they waited, and Ethan whispered to 
his companion : “ The fools left this yawl in tow ; I 
noticed that there were some oars aboard, and we ’ll 
simply use the whole thing. You slide right down 
the rope by which they made her fast to the stern 
and get aboard the yawl. You’ll probably get wet 


120 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


some, and you may bump yourself a little when you 
strike the boat, but hang - on whatever else you do ; 
it’s life or death. Better be shot than be hanged. 
Now here you go,” he said as Evart made his way 
over the side ; and, grasping the rope by which the 
yawl had been made fast to the schooner, he let 
himself slide down it. 

It burned his hands and he fell with a splash into 
the water. Remembering Ethan’s words, however, 
he did not let go his grasp of the rope, and almost 
before he could get out of the water Ethan came 
down and was in front of him; but in a moment 
they both had clambered into the yawl and Ethan 
had cut the rope. Just as he took the oars they 
heard a shot fired, as it seemed to Evart, directly 
over their heads ; but it went wide of its mark 
in the darkness, and Ethan, who was now pulling 
at the oars with all his might, soon left the schooner 
far behind them. 

“ Now if I only knew where that other schooner 
was, we ’d be all right,” he said. 

“ What schooner ? ” asked Evart. 

' “ Why, the Pilgrim, the one we passed when I 
yelled out so. I saw a lot of my friends aboard of 
her; they’re from Boston,” said Ethan. 

“Well, we’ll have to try and find her before 
morning,” said Evart, and they both turned to, to 
begin their search for the schooner, in the thick 
darkness of the night in that English harbor. 



JUST AS HE TOOK THE OARS THEY HEARD A SHOT FIRED. 





CHAPTER XIV. 


EXCITING REPORTS. 

\A7HEN John and Joseph stood before Mr. 

^ Shotwell in the room into which he had 
summoned them, they were greatly mystified. 
Something which had highly excited his father John 
knew must have occurred, for he had never seen 
him so stirred as he appeared to be that morning. 
On the previous day, which was Sunday, it had 
seemed to John that his father had been unusually 
thoughtful and had given unusual attention to the 
words of the preacher at the three services which 
he had attended ; and even yet he evidently was 
greatly excited. 

The boys remained silent, waiting for the older 
man to begin, and at length he had quieted himself 
enough to say, “ Boys, there has been a great fight. 
Word of it was brought to New York yesterday and 
has just come to us over here in Jersey.” 

The boys only remained silent, neither of them 
daring just then to show his feeling, and Mr. Shot- 
well continued, “Yes, there has been a great fight; 
not so great in the numbers engaged in it, as in the 
effect it will have upon the Colonies ; for I verily 
believe that it means the beginning of a long and 


121 


122 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


painful struggle ; ” and then he proceeded to give the 
boys an account of the battle of Lexington, the 
story of which is doubtless already well known by 
all of our readers. 

Mr. Shotwell told how the regulars had gone out 
from Boston, and had proceeded silently and with 
great secrecy to Lexington, and how just before sun- 
rise they had come in sight of a company of eighty 
militiamen that had halted near the meetinghouse. 
The regulars were hallooing and yelling when they 
came within a few rods of the militia, and their 
commanding officer had called out : “ Disperse, you 
rebels ! ” and then the troops had yelled again, 
and shot at once in obedience to their officer’s 
command, and had killed eight of our men and 
wounded nine more, and then they all had laughed 
and said that the “ Yankees could n’t bear the smell 
of gunpowder.” 

The regulars then resumed their march to Con- 
cord and divided up into parties and had gone on 
to the place where our stores were kept. 

'“How did they know where they were?” asked 
John. 

“Why, every party had a Tory pilot,” said Mr.' 
Shotwell. “ One party went into the jail yard and 
spiked some cannon we had there, and some of 
them went into a store and rolled out-of-doors a 
hundred barrels of flour. They unheaded a good 
many of them and emptied the flour into the river. 


EXCITING REPORTS. 


123 


Some more of them then set fire to the Town House, 
and still others took possession — so says the report 
— of North Bridge, where there were about a hun- 
dred and fifty of the militia gathered, and the British 
fired upon them and killed two. Then our folks 
began to return the fire, and they made the troops 
begin to retreat, and they moved back to Lexington, 
both sides firing as they went. 

“ During this time word was sent to General 
Gage, of Boston, for reinforcements, and he had sent 
out Earl Percy with two field pieces and a lot of men. 
When they came to Lexington it was just as the 
regulars arrived there on their retreat, so they made 
a stand at once and picked up their dead, and took 
all the carriages they could find to put their wounded 
in. Some of them began to set fire to the houses 
and rob and burn, but our militia followed them 
almost all the way back, firing from behind the 
fences and trees — yes, all the way to Charlestown 
Neck. There’s a ship just arrived at New York 
from England, and the men on board bring a report 
that a large body of men are to be sent over from 
England, and that they are going to make the Col- 
onies surrender their liberty and their property. I 
tell you, boys,” said Mr. Shotwell, laboring under 
great excitement, “ those who refuse to fight deserve 
to be slaves.” 

That night there was a great meeting in the 
Town Hall. A great crowd of men and some very 


124 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


excited speakers served to bring the feeling to the 
highest pitch. In this the boys shared, and their 
voices were among the loudest in the shouts and 
songs that followed. 

The Tories were silent for the time, for there was 
little for them to say, and in the crowd the boys 
thought they caught a glimpse of Schoolmaster 
Chase, but of this they were not certain, and when 
they came home late that night they had almost for- 
gotten the occurrence. Not long afterwards, the 
word came that all communication between Boston 
and the country had been stopped, and that no one 
for the present was allowed to pass into or out of 
the city without special permission. 

The governor had disarmed the people after he 
had given his word that the soldiers should not 
molest them, but the report also came that at Cam- 
bridge a large body of the provincial soldiers had 
gathered and that they were commanded by General 
Putnam. The soldiers were building trenches at 
Roxbury and putting up batteries. 

“New York is stirred up, too,” said Mr. Shotwell ; 
and the boys learned shortly after this time that 
there had been put forth a petition signed by 
over a thousand men calling upon everyone to 
stand firm. “ I don’t think we shall have as much 
trouble here as they did in Boston, but we shall 
find some martyrs here, too, if I am not greatly 
mistaken,” said Mr. Shotwell. 


EXCITING REPORTS. 


125 


“Who was the first one killed for the cause?” 
asked John. 

“ Why, they say,” replied his father, “ that most 
of the Boston people had determined sometime 
since that they would have nothing to do with the 
goods that England sent, and specially with the tea ; 
but that some few of the Boston merchants con- 
tinued to sell those things after all. One of them, 
who was named Theophilus Lillie, was very un- 
popular, and to show that his place ought not to be 
patronized, a lot of boys sawed up a pile of wood 
and raised up a pole right near the door of his 
store, and upon this they had written the names of 
all the importers. 

“ Mr. Lillie was very angry at this, and he had 
a friend, Lillie did, named Richardson. He tried 
to get a countryman to drive his wagon across the 
pole, but he would not do it, and then Richardson 
tried to pull it down himself. There was a big 
crowd there by that time at his store, and they 
beean to throw stones and dirt at him, and drove 
him into Lillie’s house. Richardson was so mad 
that he was almost beside himself, and he rushed 
out-of-doors with a gun in his hands and fired it at 
the crowd. One boy named Christopher Gore was 
wounded, and another one named Christopher 
Snyder, the son of a poor widow, was killed. The 
crowd was more angry then than even Richardson 
himself was, and they just grabbed him and took 


126 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


him to Faneuil Hall where he was examined and 
committed.” 

“What became of him?” said John. 

“They found him guilty of murder, but the lieu- 
tenant-governor would n’t sign his death warrant, 
so he was only shut up for about two weeks ; but 
the death of the boy produced great excitement. 
At his funeral they had a lot of inscriptions on his 
coffin. I remember one of them was ‘ Innocence 
itself is not safe.’ They marched with the coffin to 
Liberty Tree, where there was a big crowd, and 
from there all the people followed it to the grave. 
There were about five hundred boys at the head of 
the procession and about fifteen hundred people 
followed them. The bells of the city were tolled, 
and the newspapers called little Christopher the first 
martyr to the cause of American liberty.” 

“When was all this?” said John ; “ I never heard 
of it before.” 

“ Why, it was on the twenty-second day of Febru- 
ary, 1770. 

The excitement in New Jersey continued and the 
boys were as much aroused as were any of the men. 
Early in May when they were in New York one day, 
they went with others of the people a little distance 
out of the city to meet some men who were coming 
from the East to attend the Continental Congress at 
Philadelphia. The roads were almost lined with 
people, and the delegates were escorted into the 


EXCITING REPORTS. 


27 


city by some of the principal men of the place in 
carriages and on horseback, and by nearly a thou- 
sand men under arms. The bells were rung, and 
there were a great many things done to show their 
interest, and they placed double sentries at the 
houses in which they lodged their visitors. 

“ Who were the men from Massachusetts?” said 
Joseph to John, “ I never can keep them straight in 
my head.” 

“Why, John Hancock and Thomas Cushing, 
Samuel Adams and Robert Treat Paine.” 

“Well, I ought to remember that,” said Jos'eph, 
“ for I knew that it was two that came from 
Connecticut.” 

“ No, it was n’t two, it was three,” said John with 
a laugh. 

In a couple of days these men, with those who 
were to be delegates from New York City, started 
on for Philadelphia. About five hundred men 
crossed the ferry with them, and there were about 
two hundred of them that were under arms. The 
boys followed the procession as it marched through 
New Jersey till it came to Elizabeth Town where 
another crowd gathered to meet them. 

But a few days more had passed before Mr. Shot- 
well had more and more exciting news. It seemed 
that a man named John Brown, from Ticonderoga, 
was on his way to the General Congress, and he 
told how about fifty men from Connecticut and 


128 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


Massachusetts joined about a hundred from Ben- 
nington, and had gone up the eastern side of Lake 
Champlain and about eighty-five of them had 
crossed over the lake, for that was all they could 
carry with their boats, and that at about daybreak 
on the tenth they made their way into the fort at 
Ticonderoga. Then giving the Indian warwhoop 
they had at once secured it and everything it 
contained. 

There were two officers and about forty privates 
that they took there, and they sent the prisoners 
down to Hartford. It took just about ten minutes 
to do all this, and not one was hurt on our side, 
and but very few on the king’s side, and they got 
a lot of flour and pork and some guns. Of course 
Crown Point, where there was only a corporal and 
eight men, also fell into their hands. 

A few days later the boys learned from John’s 
father how Dr. Cooper, president of King’s College 
in New York, had sailed for England. 

“ He ’s been for nearly two weeks aboard the 
King Fisher,” said Mr. Shotwell. “ He thought it 
would be wise to shelter himself there, for the 
people would have been rough with him, if they 
had caught him. It’s strange that some of our 
most prominent men, who would reap the benefits 
before all others, if the Colonies did well, are among 
their bitterest enemies. I ’m not sure but what 
we ’ll have to do as they did up at Worcester, where 


EXCITING REPORTS. 


129 


I hear they summoned all those who were Tories to 
appear with their arms and ammunition. They 
knew enough to come, and they knew enough to 
give up their arms to the committee, too, when they 
were told to, and after they had been strictly ordered 
not to leave the town, or to meet together without 
a permit, they were allowed to go ; still while we 
have some of the worst Tories around here, we 
have got some of the warmest patriots. Why, the 
people of New Jersey have simply taken all the 
money there was in the treasury of the province — 
pretty nearly thirty thousand pounds — and have 
said that they ’ll use it in sending troops to defend 
the liberties of America.” 

The times were full of excitement, and the boys 
lived each day in the hope that the morrow would 
bring a climax to the events transpiring about them, 
and each day did bring its own exciting story. 


CHAPTER XV. 


A NEW EXPEDITION. 


NE of the features of the times that was espe- 



dally pleasing to John Shotwell was the 
increasing confidence which his father daily mani- 
fested in him. Ever since his return from that 
disastrous visit to Staten Island his father had 
appeared to lose sight of his own dignity, and to 
come into closer contact with John and his young 
friend. This was so marked an exception to the 
custom of the times that John found his heart 
warming toward his father as it had never done 
before in his life. Many were the conversations 
which they had, and closer and stronger became 
the bond which united them. 

“ This word ‘ Yankee,’ ” said John one day to 
his father, “ which I hear so many people call the 
Eastern folks by, what is it ? What does it mean 
anyway ? ” 

“ I don’t suppose any one knows exactly,” replied 
his father ; “ but the common story is that when the 
New England Colonies were first settled,' the peo- 
ple were obliged to fight with a good many different 
tribes of Indians. They did n’t have much trouble 
with the most of them, but there was one tribe 


130 


A NEW EXPEDITION. 


131 

named ‘ Yankoos ’ which it seemed as if they never 
could conquer ; but the New Englanders persisted, 
and at last got the best of them. These Indians 
had the custom of giving their own name to their 
conquerors, so that the white people, who had at 
last got the best of them, were called Yankoos by 
them, and that gradually slipped into the other 
name — ‘ Yankee.’ ” 

“ The Synod of New York and Philadelphia have 
appointed the last Thursday in June as a fast day,” 
said Mr. Shotwell one day to his family. “ They 
are badly frightened at the condition of things in 
this country, and they also reckoned that they had 
better take the afternoon of the last Thursday of 
every month for public prayer. I like that idea 
myself, and we ’ll prepare to follow it out.” But 
John’s face showed that he was not over enthu- 
siastic at the prospect of the day, but when his 
father turned to him and said, “ I think, John, 
you ’ll have to go out on the farm for a few days 
and look after things there,” he felt relieved, for 
taking his friend Joseph with him he always found 
made his stay at the farm one of the pleasant 
episodes of his life. 

It was true that the weather was now becoming 
very warm and the mosquitoes were more than 
plentiful ; still, in the tests of strength between the 
boys and the young men on the farm, and in the 
races and wrestling bouts which the boys on the 


i3 2 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


farm always liked to have with the boys from town, 
it brought many a pleasant recreation into the 
routine of farm life. 

“ My father was telling me,” said Joseph on their 
way over to the farm, “ of what a big time they had 
down at Williamsburg, Virginia, when Peyton Ran- 
dolph came home. He was the president of the 
grand Continental Congress, you know. They had 
cavalry and infantry, bands of music, ringing of 
bells and lanterns, and I guess something in their 
glasses that made some of their ears ring louder 
than their bells did ; and my father says he does not 
care, except that he ’s glad that there are so many 
people that feel that way about this country.” 

“ That ’s so,” said John. “ They tell me that that 
army at Cambridge is almost full too, and that lots 
of soldiers have come from Connecticut, New 
Hampshire, and Rhode Island, and that Providence 
has sent on a lot of stores, with some cannon and 
other things.” 

“ Yes ; and I heard that General Gage had issued 
a proclamation,” replied Joseph, “saying that he’ll 
pardon in the king’s name all those who lay down 
their arms now and go about their business ; that is, 
he’ll pardon everybody, except Samuel Adams and 
John Hancock. I guess they ’ve committed what 
the dominie was trying to tell us last Sunday after- 
noon was the ‘ unpardonable sin.’ ” 

“ I ’ve heard about that proclamation of Gage’s,” 


A NEW EXPEDITION. 


133 


said John with a laugh; “and there was some- 
thing printed in The Pennsylvania Journal about 
it. I have got a piece of it in my pocket ; ” and 
he took from his coat the piece of a doggerel 
rhyme, which he had cut from the paper, and 
read : — 


“ Whereas the rebels hereabouts 
Are stubborn still, and still hold out ; 
Refusing yet to drink their tea, 

In spite of Parliament and me, 

And maintain their rabble right, 
Prognosticate a real fight ; 

Preparing flint and guns and ball, 

My army and the fleet to maul ; 
Mounting their guilt to such a pitch 
As to let fly at soldiers, breech, 
Pretending they designed a trick, 

Tho’ ordered not to hurt a chick ; 

But peaceably without alarm 
The men of Concord to disarm ; 

Or, if resisting, to annoy, 

And every magazine destroy — 

All which, tho’ long obliged to bear 
Thro’ want of men, and not of fear, 

I ’m able now by augmentation 
To give a proper castigation ; 

For since the addition to the troops, 
Now reinforced as thick as hops, 

I can, like Jenney at the Boyne, 

Look safely on — fight you, Burgoyne ; 
And now, like grass, the rebel Yankees, 
I fancy not these doodle dances.” 


134 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


‘‘There was some more of it, but that is n’t here.” 

“What he says here about ‘ doodle dances,’” said 
Joseph, “ makes me think of what my father told 
me the other day about this tune ‘ Yankee Doodle’ 
that everybody is singing now. He says it was 
written way back when Cromwell was in England, 
and a loyal poet, who wanted to make some fun of 
him, wrote it out, beginning, — 

“ Nankey Doodle came to town, 

Riding on a pony, 

With a feather in his hat 
Upon a macaroni.” 

“ I wonder what a ‘ doodle ’ was ? ” said John. 

“That’s just what I said,” replied Joseph with a 
laugh, “ when my father told me the song ; and he 
said that a ‘ doodle’ was a sorry, trivial fellow, and 
that a ‘ macaroni ’ was a knot on which his feather 
was fastened.” 

“Bui; our song is ‘Yankee,’ not ‘Nankey’; I 
wonder how that change came ? ” said John. 

“ Well, my father says that a surgeon in the Brit- 
ish army up at Albany about twenty years ago 
wrote it that way to make fun of the New England 
soldiers who assembled there, they looked so green 
and awkward,” replied Joseph. 

The boys remained at the farm a few days fishing, 
looking after the work generally, and enjoying them- 
selves ; but they were too full of excitement, and 


A NEW EXPEDITION 


135 


they were too eager for news to remain away from 
home longer than was absolutely necessary, even to 
avoid the fast days which both the boys heartily 
disliked. 

To their eager inquiries, upon their return, as to 
what had occurred during their absence, John’s 
father told them how the Continental Congress had 
chosen Colonel George Washington of Virginia to 
be the general and commander-in-chief of all the 
American forces. “Some one said that Sir Jeffery 
Amherst said last year that ‘ with five thousand 
English Regulars he could march from one end of 
North America to the other.’ When this was 
spoken of publicly in a coffee-house, I think some- 
where, Colonel Washington, who was there, said 
‘ he could stop Sir Jeffery with one thousand 
Virginians.’ He ’ll have a chance to try it very 
soon, I think, and the British will also have a chance 
to learn whether the Americans are such ^cowards 
and poltroons as they claim to think they are.” 

It was not many days after this that the American 
army set out from Philadelphia, under the command 
of Washington and Lee, to join the forces at 
Cambridge. 

John and Joseph were among the most interested 
of the spectators in the crowd that gathered to hail 
them as they approached Elizabeth Town, and the 
spirited appearance of the men, and the determined 
look of their leaders, made them hope that some- 


136 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


thing might be done by such men, even against 
such a country as England. 

They heard of General Washington’s reception at 
New York the next day, but the greatest excitement 
was reached when the account came to them of 
the fight on Breed’s Hill. 

Bonfires, processions, excited speakers, illumina- 
tions, and crowds of boys and men everywhere 
hailed this news. 

Several weeks passed in this way, reports coming 
now and then from the army, and the people becom- 
ing more and more eager as the days went by. It 
was about the middle of July when John was called 
by his father once more into his room, and again he 
knew by the expression of his father’s face that some 
important news was to be given him. 

“John, we’re going to win in this fight and keep 
our liberties, but it ’s going to be a longer struggle 
than most of these men realize, I think,” said Mr. 
Shotwell. “ England has sent over some more sol- 
diers, but nothing compared to what she will send 
a little later, and with such little wealth as we have 
over here, and such a lack of unity among the Col- 
onies, a good many of these who are loudest in 
their professions of friendship now, will be the first 
to leave.” 

John waited in silence for his father to resume, as 
he well understood that questions on his part only 
served to irritate him. 


A NEW EXPEDITION. 


1 37 


“ But/' resumed his father, “ I think we shall win, 
because we have some men who take hold and 
never let go, but just now we lack powder more than 
anything else. If there ’d been more of that, 
Bunker Hill would have been more of a success. 
Washington is suffering because of that lack now, 
and a lot of the men in this town have made 
arrangements to forward some to Boston. If we 
send it by the soldiers, that will only serve to attract 
attention to it and make our poverty here only 
the more apparent. We want to send it in such 
a way as to attract the least possible notice. 
How would you like to go as one of those who 
are to help carry it ? ” 

John’s face flushed in a moment at the prospect, 
but he restrained his feelings as he knew there was 
nothing his father disliked more than rash and im- 
pulsive expressions. 

“ I should like to go,” he said at length very 
quietly, “ and I should like to have Joseph go too.” 

“ So I thought,” remarked the father, “ and I 
have already made arrangements with his parents 
for him to go with you. You are both to go ; but, 
my son,” he added in a moment, “ there are great 
dangers connected with this venture.” 

John perceived how his father’s voice was soften- 
ing, and his own heart responded to his words. 

“ There will be the British soldiers who may get 
word of it and make a great deal of trouble for you, 


138 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

and worse than they are these Tory traitors who 
may try to blow up the powder and all the men with 
it, if they can’t manage to steal it from you. It 
means dangers day and night for you, and yet I am 
more than willing for you to go, and am sure you 
will quit yourself like a man all the way between 
here and Cambridge.” 

“ I shall try,” said John in a low voice, as he and 
his father left the room to make their preparations 
for John’s departure, which was to take place on the 
following day. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


JOSEPHS DISCOVERY. 

TT was arranged that both John and Joseph 
* should go with the little party which was to 
carry the powder to the headquarters of the Ameri- 
can army at Cambridge. Fifty-two quarter-casks 
had just been received from Philadelphia, and it 
was decided that these should be forwarded at once, 
and on the same day the active committee of the 
town passed the following resolution : — 

Resolved , That this committee for 'every one hundredweight 
of saltpetre made within this town for the next three months 
after this date will pay the sum of twenty pounds proclamation 
money of New Jersey on the delivery therof to this committee, 
and fifteen pounds of same currency for the like quantity of salt- 
petre made and delivered as aforesaid within the next three 
months thereafter. 

The greatest secrecy was used in starting the little 
party on their journey, both because they were 
fearful of possible attacks on the way, and because 
many of the people of Elizabeth Town would be 
very sensitive at the removal of powder, which all 
thought soon might be needed at home. 

The possible treachery of the Tories was also a 

further cause of fear, though the greatest caution 

139 


140 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


was used in the preparation for the departure. The 
casks of powder were divided and placed in two 
large wagons, and over them a lot of newly cured 
hay was thrown, and when the men started, their 
loads looked like those which the farmers daily were 
drawing from the fields. 

Two men on horseback preceded the party, and 
behind rode John and Joseph, each on his own 
horse, as a rear guard, to give warning of any 
danger which might be approaching from that 
direction. 

They journeyed on that day without any adven- 
tures, and at night they stopped at a little tavern in 
a small hamlet, somewhat undecided as to what 
arrangements they should make for guarding the 
material which they were carrying. Elias Terrill, 
who was in charge of the little party, soon decided 
that no guard should be left over the wagons. 

“You see,” he said to the others, “ there will be 
less danger in having no guard left over them, than 
in having one. I don’t think any one will suspect 
that they are anything else than what they appear 
to be, for they look now like nothing but hay which 
has just been cured.” 

“ Some of us can sleep on the hay, if you want 
it,” said John. 

Mr. Terrill hesitated a moment, and then said, 
“ No, I still think it would be best not to have any 
guard at all. Sometimes the surest way to arouse 


JOSEPH'S DISCOVERY. 


HI 

suspicion is to act as if you are afraid, and a bold 
front has carried many a man through worse expe- 
riences than these. I think I ’ll keep an eye on 
things myself, however ; ” and so several times dur- 
ing the night he arose from his bed, and went out 
to the place where the powder was, but he found 
no cause of fear, and the rest of the party slept 
soundly until daybreak. 

Soon after sunrise they were again on their way, 
and before night they had arrived at Dobbs Ferry, 
where they were to cross the Hudson, and to strike 
out across the country for the headquarters of the 
army. 

John was surprised when they came to the ferry 
to find that arrangements had already been made 
for transporting them. The hay was taken off from 
the casks, and the powder transferred to the boats 
which were in waiting, and the horses which they 
were riding were also ferried across. 

On the other side of the river, teams similar to 
those which they had been using, were in readiness, 
and in a short time the journey had been resumed, 
the same line of march being observed which they 
had followed before. 

The boys were greatly interested in the scenery 
through which they passed. The air was so much 
cooler and the country so different in its appear- 
ance from that in which they had their homes, 
that their attention was continually drawn to 


142 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


many of the points of interest by which they were 
passing. 

“ My father said,” said John, “ that most of the 
great men have come from the hill country. I 
wonder why that is ? ” 

“ I don’t know,” replied Joseph, whose thoughts 
were not largely given to the matters of such 
import, but who was happy in the constant change 
of scene which they were experiencing. 

“ I suppose,” said John, replying to his own 
query, “ that we all of us are a good deal influenced 
by our surroundings ; more than we think some- 
times.” 

“Then maybe that’s the reason Jerseymen are 
so active in this rebellion,” said Joseph with a laugh. 
“ We live in a country where the mosquitoes keep 
us on the move most of the time. I ’ve got so that 
I can hit a mosquito about as easily as most men hit 
a barndoor.” 

John only laughed by way of reply, and the boys 
became silent, the monotony of their journey soon 
making itself felt. John did not cease to be watch- 
ful, however, for his father had cautioned him to be 
on his guard against the Tories, especially in the 
country where they then were, as it was reported 
that there were many of them in the regions border- 
ing on the Hudson. 

Late in the afternoon, as they were passing an old 
farmhouse, Joseph pointed to the long wellsweep 


JOSEPH'S DISCOVERY . 143 

which could be seen in the yard near the house, and 
said: “Let’s stop there for a moment and get a 
drink of water; I ’m very thirsty myself, and I don’t 
believe the horses will object to a good drink of 
cold water either.” 

John hesitated a few moments, and then calmly 
turned his horse into the yard, an example which 
Joseph quickly followed. They rode up in front of 
the house and dismounted, and Joseph stepped to 
the door to ask for the loan of a cup. Two women 
came to the door at his knock, and followed him out 
to the well. They had noticed the passing of the 
little party, and were curious as to their destination. 
The talk soon turned upon the condition of the 
country and the war which was threatening. 

“ I have five boys with Washington at Cam- 
bridge,” said one of the women. 

“ I should n’t think you ’d want to let all of them 
go at once,” said John. 

“ I only wish I had five more,” replied the woman; 
“ I ’d give them all. The last word I said to them 
was, ‘ Don t get shot in the back.’ I should feel as 
badly as any mother if anything happened to them, 
but in times like these I don’t intend to have any 
of my boys backward in doing their duty by their 
country.” 

Her eyes flashed as she spoke, and the boys 
were deeply interested in her words. The other 
woman had nothing to say, and there was a scowl 


1 44 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


upon her face all the time her companion was 
speaking. 

“Perhaps we’ll see them,” said Joseph as the 
boys mounted their horses again. “ We are n’t quite 
so peaceful as we seem-; we may have something 
with us when we get to Cambridge that will interest 
them or be of some use.” 

A quick glance from John made Joseph realize 
how foolish his words were, and he became silent in 
a moment. The woman who had had nothing to 
say during their conversation, had turned quickly at 
the words of Joseph and gone back into the house. 

As the boys started to leave, the first woman 
beckoned to them to remain for a moment, and as 
she approached she said in a low tone : “I’m sorry 
you have said what you did. This woman who is 
with me is a very bitter Tory. She has been my 
friend and neighbor for a good many years, but this 
is the first time in a month that she ’s been in my 
house. She has felt very bitter about this struggle, 
and her husband and boys are as strong in their 
desires for the success of King George as I am for 
the success of the Colonies, so I wish you had n’t 
said that, for I ’m afraid of trouble now ; but be on 
your guard and do not trust anybody and perhaps 
everything will turn out well after all.” 

The boys bade her good-by, and putting their 
horses in a gallop, soon caught up with their com- 
panions and resumed their positions as rear guard. 


JOSEPH'S DISCOVERY. 


145 


John was very sharp in his words to his compan- 
ion, and tried to impress Joseph, who quickly real- 
ized that he had told something that he ought not 
to have mentioned ; but he took his rebuke in a 
humble spirit, promising that his tongue should not 
get the better of him again. Nothing of interest 
occurred during the day, and the boys did not men- 
tion to the men the words of the women. 

That night they passed at one of the country 
taverns in much the same way as they had passed 
the previous night, and bright and early on the fol- 
lowing morning were once more journeying onward. 

About the middle of that afternoon, two men 
passed them on horseback, and from the sharp 
looks which they gave the boys, they made them 
feel that their interest was more than a passing one. 

“ Shall we tell the other men,” said Joseph, “ what 
a fool I made of myself back there at the well, and 
what that woman said ? ” 

“ No ! ” said John, who was anxious to shield his 
friend ; “ not yet anyway. We ’ll keep our own 
eyes open, and if we see anything unusual, then 
we’ll tell the others of it. Now they’d only blame 
you, and if nothing should come of it, why, you ’d 
only be the sufferer.” But an hour had scarcely 
passed before the boys saw the same men returning, 
and as they approached they brought their horses 
to a walk and tried to enter into conversation with 
the boys. 


146 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“ Where ’d you come from, boys?” said one of 
them. 

Joseph looked at John to indicate that he him- 
self would keep silence and leave the conversa- 
tion to his friend. “Oh, over by the river,” replied 
John shortly. 

“ What ’ve you got, hay ? ” 

“ Can’t you see,” said John, “ that we have n’t 
anything, but our horses?” 

“ Yes, but the men ahead of you ’ve got a couple 
of loads of hay.” 

“Yes,” said John, “I know there are two loads 
of hay ahead of us, but the hay is n’t mine.” 

“No, but you ’re all the same party, are n’t you ? ” 
queried the men. 

“ I don’t know what party you mean,” said John. 

“Oh, that’s all right, that’s all right,” said the 
man with a laugh. “ Likely enough we ’ll want to 
buy some. Got any to sell ? ” 

“ No,” replied John as he started his horse into 
a trot, and soon left the men out of sight. 

“Now’s your time, Joe,” said John at last. 
“You go ahead and tell the men all about it. 
These fellows who talked with us mean no good, 
I ’m sure.” 

So Joseph started on and related all the circum- 
stances to Mr. Terrill, but he only laughed at the 
report which Joseph brought, and assured him that 
there was nothing to fear. But that night when 


JOSEPH'S DISCOVERY. 


147 


they had put up at another tavern, while they were 
all sitting together in the public room, John sud- 
denly called the attention of Mr. Terrill to a man 
whom he saw from the window. “That’s one of 
those men,” said John excitedly, “ that talked with 
us to-day. They’ve passed us twice already, and 
their being here now does n’t promise any good, I ’m 
sure.” 

Mr. Terrill was more troubled than he cared to 
show, and when John proposed that he and Joseph 
should sleep that night upon the hay, he made no 
objection. 

Accordingly, the boys took their blankets when 
bedtime came, and climbing upon one of the loads, 
made their arrangements for passing the night 
there. John was fearful, and accordingly they de- 
termined to keep a very careful watch. 

Several hours passed, and a deep silence had 
come over all the place, and no signs of danger had 
as yet appeared. Suddenly Joseph, who was as 
watchful as his companion in his desire to redeem 
his mistake of the previous day, touched John upon 
the arm and in a low whisper said to him : “ John, I 
think I hear somebody under this wagon.” 

John listened a moment sharply, and then said: 
“ I don’t think so ; you ’re dreaming, Joe but even 
while he was whispering they saw that some one did 
crawl forth from under the wagon, and in the dim 
light they could see him as he started on a run 


148 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


down the road. The boys called to him, but he 
made no reply, and soon had disappeared from 
sight. They were wide awake now and were watch- 
ing for further events, certain that something excit- 
ing was sure to come. 

“ John, I smell smoke ; I know I do,” said Joseph 
in a few minutes, and he had hardly uttered the 
words before a snap and crackle beneath them 
proved the truth of his words. The boys slid off 
from the load, thoroughly frightened now, and the 
sight which met their eyes was one to make even 
older men afraid. There, in one corner of the hay, 
not more than two feet above the casks of powder 
beneath, a fire had been kindled, and the boys sud- 
denly realized something of the danger which 
threatened them. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


JOSEPH USES THE WHIP. 



HE startled boys looked at each other in dis- 


A may. A fire surely was burning, and the 
danger which threatened was. one which would affect 
not only them, but the tavern and all its surround- 
ings ; for if the fire once reached the powder, there 
would be an explosion which would carry death and 
ruin with it. Joseph had just opened his mouth to 
shout as loudly as he could, when he felt his com- 
panion’s hand roughly laid upon his face. Joseph 
was angry, and excited as he was, he threatened to 
return the attentions of his companion with interest. 

“ Hold on, Joe,” said John ; “ don’t get mad, and 
don’t call to the people yet a while. Here, you take 
this pail which is on the ground near the pump close 
by, and I ’ll hold this blanket over the fire. It 
has n’t got to going yet so that we can’t stop it if 
we work, and we ’ll have to work like Trojans. 
Come, go at it, don’t waste any time,” he added, as 
he took the blanket, and holding it over the place 
where the fire had started, threw himself upon it to 
hold it down. 

“ It’s life or death, Joe, and more lives than ours 
are at stake, too,” he said, as he saw the impulsive 


149 


I50 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

Joseph take the pail and work at the pump as if his 
very life depended upon it, as indeed it did. 

Pail after pail of water was poured upon the 
blanket and trickled down through the hay. The 
boys worked as men do in a sinking ship, or as those 
who are running for their lives. 

Again and again they thought they had the fire 
under control, but soon it would start up when they 
were not expecting it ; each took his turn at pump- 
ing, and at bringing the water, and whenever the 
fire died down they both worked at trying to tear 
away the hay with their hands and throw it from the 
load, and after a while they were satisfied that the 
fire really was out, and then only did they stop for 
a moment to take breath. 

“That’s what I call a close shave, Joe,” said 
John. 

“ Close ! ” replied Joseph, “ I should say it was. 
That beats drifting out to sea all to pieces. Why, 
when we were in that boat I never gave up at all ; I 
knew we ’d find some way out of the scrape ; but 
when you ’ve got a fire blazing within a foot and 
a half of a wagonload of powder, and you ’re right 
over it, that’s something to make your hair turn 
gray.” 

“I ’ve burned my hands,” said John ruefully. 

“So have I,” said Joseph, “but I never knew it 
till you spoke of it. I think I must have some 
pretty big blisters there, too.” 


JOSEPH USES THE WHIP. 


151 

“ Well, I ’d rather have a blister on my hand than 
no head on my body,” said John. “ We can afford 
to laugh, now the danger ’s all over, at least, the 
danger from the fire, but what those men will do 
now no one knows. We ’ll have to keep watch.” 

“ Well, we have n’t got anything to use if we 
have to fight anybody,” said Joseph, “ except two 
pairs of sore hands and a whip. Another night 
when I ’m on guard I propose to have a gun along 
with me. But what shall we do now ? Shall we go 
into the tavern and tell the men about it ? ” 

“No! no!” said John, “that would be to make 
five enemies where we have one now. We have 
got to fix this load too, for I don’t want any one to 
see that there ’s even been a fire ; but we can’t do 
that till it gets lighter than it is now. All we can 
do now is to keep watch and see if there are any 
signs of that fellow coming back again, or if any one 
else is coming to make a call upon us. I ’m going 
to stay on this load and you go over to the other.” 

“ Now don’t go to sleep, Joe,” he added, as his 
companion left him to take his place, as he had 
directed. 

The boys watched carefully, and several times 
were sure that they saw forms of men coming near 
them in the darkness, but each time they were de- 
ceived until it was nearly light. The darkness had 
just begun to give way, when Joseph was certain that 
he saw a man skulking by the barn, and several 


152 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


times look over toward the loads. So certain was 
he of this, that he was not at all surprised when he 
saw a man who was creeping along and evidently 
approaching the load over which he himself was 
keeping guard. 

Joseph had felt sleepy several times during his 
vigil, and had had to make an effort to rouse himself 
and keep awake. He was thoroughly awake now, 
however, and as he watched the man, who evidently 
was not aware of his presence on the load, he was 
undecided at first whether to call out to his com- 
panion, or to meet the stranger alone ; but recol- 
lecting John’s words as to his being prone to talk 
too much, he held his peace and waited for the man 
to come nearer. 

When he was close by the load, and was evidently 
making preparations to do some mischief there, 
Joseph suddenly drew forth the whip which he had 
in his hand, to which there was a long lash of thick 
cowhide attached. Joseph was excited, and yet he 
laughed to himself as he thought of the work he 
was about to do. Quietly he drew the whip back 
and laughed aloud at the crack which came, when 
the end of the lash struck the man squarely in the 
face. He laughed again when he saw the man clap 
both hands over his eyes, and start on a run down 
the road as rapidly as he could go. 

“ Good-by ! good-by! ” called out Joseph ; “ come 
again ! ” but he received no reply, and John who had 


JOSEPH USES THE WHIP. 


153 


been aroused by his words, came to the place where 
Joseph was, and joined in the laugh as his friend 
told him what he had done. 

“That’s what comes from living in a mosquito 
country,” said Joseph. “ Talk about your men living 
among the mountains, why, that ’s nothing to the 
things one can learn when he has to fight mosqui- 
toes. Why, if I had n’t practised picking them off 
with a whip, where would we have been now?” 

“ Why, we ’d have been so far up in the sky that 
we would n’t have thought it worth while to come 
down again ; at least, we ’d have come down in 
pieces. They were just bound to set fire to these 
loads, weren’t they?” said John. “I wonder 
what Mr. Terrill will think about keeping a guard 
now ? ” 

But it was daylight by this time, and the men of 
the party soon appeared. They washed their faces 
and hands at the pump, and when the boys quietly 
told them of their experiences during the night, 
they were warm in their praises, and yet were greatly 
alarmed at the danger which threatened them. 

“ We shall have to be doubly careful now,” said 
Mr. Terrill. “ I don’t believe that those men will 
give up the attempt they have made, and we shall 
have to be on the lookout all the while. I don’t 
know these men when I see them. Do you think 
you could tell them if you were to see them again?” 

“ I think so,” said John. 


154 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“ I think I shall know my caller,” said Joseph, 
“ if I meet him. I put a mark on him that I can 
remember as well as he.” 

The journey was soon resumed, and although the 
party was very watchful, nothing out of the usual 
line occurred until late in the afternoon, when a 
thunder shower which had been threatening for 
some time drove them for shelter to the horse- sheds 
of a little church near the roadside, by which they 
must pass. They had just gained its shelter when 
the storm was fairly upon them. 

“ I don’t want the lightning to strike me,” said 
Joseph, “ with all this powder in here.” 

“ If the lightning struck you,” said John, “ I 
don’t think there ’d be much left for the powder to 
blow up.” 

“ No ; only what the lightning did n’t do the 
powder would. But what ’s that ? It sounds like 
horses coming down the road.” 

“ It is,” said Joseph after listening for a moment, 
and soon two horsemen came to the place where 
they were, seeking shelter from the storm, which 
now had become terrific. The thunder rolled in 
almost a constant peal, and the flashes of the light- 
ning were so frequent that they were almost blinded 
by its glare. 

The two men who had sought the shelter of the 
sheds were in the stall next to the boys, and when 
the storm began to pass and the boys looked about 


JOSEPH USES THE WHIP. 


155 


them it was a significant glance which they gave 
each other. 

One of the men they had never seen before, but 
the other they thought they recognized ; at any rate, 
the long, livid mark which he bore across one cheek 
made Joseph smile. He thought he recognized 
something of his own handiwork in it, and felt cer- 
tain that the man before him was the one who had 
felt the touch of his whip on the previous night. 
The men tried to enter into conversation with the 
boys, and had many questions to ask as to who and 
what they were. 

“ Going to Boston ? ” said the man with the mark 
upon his face. 

“ Boston ’s a good ways from here,” said John. 
“ We sha’n’t get there to-day.” 

“ No ! I did n’t think you would,” replied the 
stranger. “Besides, if you were to go there, you 
could n’t get inside. I saw a goldsmith yesterday, 
named Mr. Rolston, who managed to get out of 
Boston in a fishing schooner, and he said that there 
was great distress there. He said the troops did n’t 
have any beef, and that their malt and cider were all 
gone. He said if they did manage to get any fresh 
provisions, they had to give them to the sick and 
the wounded.” 

“Where is this distress — among the people or 
the soldiers?” asked John. 

“ I guess none of them are very happy,” replied 


156 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

the man. “ He said that thirteen rebels who had 
been wounded at Charlestown, and were in the 
Boston jail, had died.” 

“ Rebels? Who are they? ” said Joseph. 

“ Why, the men who are fighting against their 
lawful king, and have brought all this trouble on the 
country,” said the other man. “ I ’d hang every one 
of them higher than Hainan if I had my way.” 

“ Suppose you begin right here,” said Joseph. 
“ We ’re no Tories, and where I live we sometimes 
dress up the Tories in a good warm coat. It sticks 
to them too.” 

“ Where ’s that ? ” said the other. 

“ Oh ! down in Jersey,” said Joseph ; but a sharp 
look from John brought the flush into his face, as 
again he realized that his tongue once more was 
getting the better of him. 

“Well, they’re making it warm for the Boston 
people anyway,” said the other. “They say there 
is n’t a man that dares to be seen talking with his 
friend, and General Gage won’t let one of them 
even walk in the streets after ten o’clock at night 
without a special permit from him. He ’s taken 
away all the molasses, and made it into rum for his 
soldiers ; and he won’t let anybody sell it unless 
he ’s loyal to the crown. The soldiers have a pretty 
hard time of it ; they expect to be attacked when- 
ever they appear on the street.” 

“They must be brave soldiers,” said Joseph 


JOSEPH USES THE WHIP . 


157 


impulsively; “they didn’t seem to like the Conti- 
nentals at Lexington or at Bunker Hill, and now if 
they have got so that they are as afraid as the 
women and children in Boston, they must be in a 
bad way.” 

“Oh, well, we’ll not quarrel about it,” replied 
the other in a soothing tone. “It’s reported that 
they ’re going to leave Boston.” 

“ Where will the tyrants make their headquarters 
then ? ” asked Joseph. 

“ Oh, some say in Rhode Island and some say 
New York or Long Island. Any one of them is 
good enough ; but I wonder if your friends here 
will sell any of this hay?” His voice was smooth 
now, and yet the boys were more distrustful than 
ever of him. 

“You can ask that man over there, if you want 
to,” said John abruptly, as he pointed to Mr. Terrill. 

The stranger at once entered into conversation 
with him, and offered nearly twice the value of the 
hay for the two loads, but as Mr. Terrill steadily 
refused to sell, and as the storm had now passed, 
the men soon left them, and the little party 
started on once more. 

“This is worse and worse,” said Mr. Terrill as he 
rode beside John for a little way, and listened to 
the report John gave him of the conversation the 
stranger had had with them. “I’m afraid it bodes 
no good for us, but all we can do is to do the best 


158 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


we can, and I think we ought to be able to match 
their cunning with our bravery.” 

“We’ll try to,” said John quietly. 

“That’s right, John,” said Mr. Terrill approv- 
ingly. “ I knew your father was not mistaken when 
he told us we could depend upon you ; but this is 
very serious business, and a good deal more danger 
has arisen than I had thought of. If the powder is 
blown up there won’t be even so much as a report 
of us left to carry back to Elizabeth Town ; ” and, 
laughing at his own joke, he left the boys and 
resumed his place in advance of the party. 

That night when they put up at another little 
tavern it was arranged that the boys should sleep 
inside, and that two of the men should take their 
places for the night on the load; and thoroughly 
tired out from the vigil of the night before, the 
boys were soon in bed, and without much conver- 
sation they lapsed into silence. 

It seemed to John that Joseph was asleep in a 
moment, but he was too anxious and nervous to fall 
asleep as his companion did. However, after a time 
he too fell into a sleep from which he was aroused, 
sure that some one was in the room. Without 
awakening his companion, he stepped out upon the 
floor and began to make investigations. Satisfied 
that no one was in the room, he approached the 
door and was startled as he found that it was 
fastened from the outside. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


BLOCKING AN INCENDIARY. 

J OHN SHOTWELL was alarmed at the prospect 
before him. It must be that some danger 
threatened, and that some one who knew of the 
boys’ relation to the expedition, had taken pains to 
shut them out from taking any part in what might 
occur that night. He turned to the bed, and roused 
his sleeping companion. 

“ Wake up, Joe, wake up,” he whispered, but it 
was some time before the sleeping Joseph was 
brought to his senses ; but when at last he was 
thoroughly awake, he at once began to throw off the 
bedding and to take the rope, upon which the bed- 
tick had been laid, from the bedstead. 

“ Hold on, Joe; what are you doing ?” said John. 
“ I ’m going to fix it so that we can get out of 
that window.” 

“ Let ’s try the door first and by pushing together 
against it we may be able to open it,” said John. 

“ All right,” said his impulsive companion. 
“ We ’ll get out to the men anyway. I tell you this 
means business ; ” and he stepped to the door to 
try it. 

What was his surprise as he pushed gently 


i6o 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


against the door to find that it opened without any 
resistance. He turned to his companion and said : 
“ You were dreaming, John. The door is n’t fastened 
at all.” 

“ Well, I ’m sure it was,” said John. “ I don’t 
understand it at all ; you wait here a minute ; ” and 
he approached the door, and quietly walked along 
the hall into which their door opened. 

As he came to the stairs he was startled at hear- 
ing the low voices of men who were evidently 
engaged in an earnest conversation there. He did 
not intend to listen, but when he caught the words 
“ Chase ” and “ New Jersey,” he did stop and 
decided that the conversation might have some- 
thing of interest to him. 

But listen as he would, the only words he could 
catch were “ powder,” “ New Jersey,” and “ Cam- 
bridge ” ; and yet they were enough to deeply 
interest the listener. 

Perhaps it was the knowledge which he himself 
had of the purpose of the expedition that made him 
suspicious of all men, and yet satisfied that the 
words which he had heard were not without some 
meaning for him, especially in view of the event 
which had recently happened, he went silently back 
to his room and found Joseph once more in bed. 

“ Any more ghosts, John ? ” said his companion as 
he entered the room. “ I was afraid you ’d go asleep 
out there in the hall and have some more dreams 


BLOCKING AN INCENDIARY. l6l 

that would disturb the tavern. The next thing you 
know you ’ll have King George climbing up the 
window, and come in, as the dominie said that last 
Sunday we were at church, ‘ like a thief and a 
robber.’ ” 

But John, who was greatly troubled at the words 
he had overheard, made no reply to his companion’s 
jest, and seated himself upon the side of the bed, 
where he remained for some time in deep thought. 

“Well, John, if you aren’t coming to bed, I’ll 
have it all to myself, and all of the sleep too, 
so good-by ; ” and Joseph started to turn over 
upon his side, and to ignore the presence of his 
friend. 

“ Hold on, Joe ! ” said John, “ I ’m troubled. 
What do you think ? ” and he related to his com- 
panion, who now was wide awake and fully inter- 
ested, the conversation he had overheard in the 
hall. 

“ What ’s the best thing to do ? ” said John. 

“ Do ! ” said Joseph. “ There’s no best thing at 
all. The only thing we can do is to go out there 
and tell the men there ’s something up, and that 
they ’ve got to be on their guard ; ” and he began at 
once to dress, an example which John speedily 
followed. 

As they left the tavern door and began to come 
near the wagons, which had been placed for the 
night near the barns, Joseph whispered to his 


162 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


companion: “You don’t suppose they’ll shoot us, 
do you, thinking we ’re some one else coming ? ” 

“ No, I ’m not so much afraid of that,” replied 
John, “ as I am that they won’t be awake enough to 
shoot anybody.” 

“ Ho ! you don’t suppose they ’ll be asleep, do 
you?” said Joseph; “ that would be a good joke.” 

“ Yes, it would be a good joke, especially when 
we can see what we can now ; ” and he called his 
friend’s attention to the figure of a man he had 
noticed crouching and approaching the loads. 

“There’s two of them,” said Joseph in a low 
whisper as they peered around the corner of the 
barn, behind which they had taken their stand. 

“Yes,” said John, “that’s so, but there’s only 
one trying to get near the hay. The other fellow ’s 
on the watch, I guess.” 

“ Well, if we ’re going to do anything we have got 
to do it now,” said Joseph ; and even while he was 
speaking they saw a spark near the load, and they 
were sure that the man had evidently approached 
without attracting the notice of those who were 
supposedly on guard, and was already trying his 
flint and tinder. 

“ Come on, then,” said John, and they started on 
the run with a shout. The man who had been on 
guard while his companion was trying to set fire to 
the hay, gave a warning call and turned and fled. 
The one who was nearer the load, startled at what 


BLOCKING AN INCENDIARY. 1 63 

he had heard, glanced quickly about him, and also 
started to run, though in a different direction, as he 
took the road opposite to that which his companion 
had taken. 

“ I ’ll go for him,” said Joseph, and disregarding 
the remonstrance of his friend he began to pursue 
the incendiary, the outline of whose form he could 
still see dimly in the distance. They both soon 
disappeared from the sight of John, who then 
turned to the men of his party who were on the 
loads. 

They sharply denied that they had been asleep, 
and claimed that they were aware of what was pass- 
ing all the time. John was very doubtful as to the 
truthfulness of their words, but he called to one of 
the men to follow him, and they both started after 
the impetuous Joseph, who had gone in pursuit of 
the runaway. They called to him as they ran, but 
heard no reply. 

“That fellow is the greatest boy I ever saw,” mut- 
tered John. “ He never stops to think before he 
does anything ; he does his thinking afterwards ; or, 
rather, he makes some one else do it for him ; ” but 
he had hardly spoken these words before he stumbled 
over a prostrate form on the ground before him. 

Startled, he stopped to examine it, and at once 
saw that it was his friend. 

“Is he dead? Is he dead?” he called out, as 
excited as Joseph, whom he had just been chiding 


164 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


in his heart for his impetuousness, could possibly 
ever have been. 

His companion stooped over the prostrate form 
and after a hurried examination said : “No, he ’s not 
dead, and he ’s coming to.” 

His words were true, for Joseph regained con- 
sciousness at once, and in reply to the questions of 
his friends told them how he had followed the man, 
and had gained upon him as he ran, but that he had 
hidden behind a tree, and as he approached, the other 
had hit him upon the head with what must have 
been a heavy stick, he thought. He had n’t stopped 
to examine, for he had lost consciousness at once ; 
but aside from the bruise upon his head, he was 
certain that he had received no damage, an assertion 
which was soon proved to be true. 

“ I ’ve a good mind to follow him up now,” said 
Joseph. 

“ No. You ’re not going to do that,” said John. 
“ You ’ve made trouble enough for one day; come 
on back to the tavern.” 

“ I don’t think we shall have any more trouble 
to-night,” said Mr. Terrill, who had come out to the 
wagons, as soon as he had been summoned by the 
man who remained. “ I want you boys to go to 
bed now and get rested. You ’ve had no sleep 
for two nights, and I ’ll help these men guard till 
morning.” 

No one in the tavern had heard of the occurrence. 


BL 0 CKING AN INCENDIAR Y. 1 6 5 

The entire party left on the following morning, and 
soon resumed their journey, Joseph being none the 
worse for his encounter, and John thoroughly rested 
by the sleep which he had had. No strangers were 
met during the morning, and Mr. Terrill, who rode 
part of the way beside the boys, told them a little 
more of the object of their journey. 

“ Colonel Washington,” said he, “as perhaps you 
know, on the fifteenth of June, was placed in com- 
mand of the Continentals. I hope he can do the 
work, but he ’s a young man to have such a 
responsible position.” 

“Who had command before him?” asked John. 

“ Why, all the command there was, was that of 
Artemas Ward.” 

“ Who was he ? ” said John. 

“Why, all I know about him,” replied Mr. 
Terrill, “ is that’s he a Massachusetts man, and was 
graduated at Harvard College, and has held some 
important positions in the Colony. He’s been 
something of a soldier, and he ’s learned something 
about the management of men, but it was of course 
better to have Colonel Washington in command.” 

“ I wish we could get into Boston,” said Joseph ; 
“ but that man whose face showed where I laid the 
whip the other night, said you could n’t get out or 
in there now.” 

“I guess that’s so,” said Mr. Terrill, “but per- 
haps some time you can see it ; it ’s an old town. 


1 66 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

“ How old ? ” said John. 

“ Oh,” replied Mr. Terrill, “ away back in 1622 
there was a little plantation begun at Weymouth 
(that ’s about twelve miles from Boston), and then 
they began to explore the whole coast of Massa- 
chusetts Bay. They found a fine harbor that was 
shut in by a peninsula, which was marked for its 
three hills. I think the Indians used to call it 
Shawmut. That is the harbor and site of Boston. 
The English called the peninsula Tri-Mountain, but 
now they call it Tremont.” 

“ Yes, but what made them call it Boston, if they 
called it Tri-Mountain before ? ” asked Joseph. 

“ There was a preacher named John Cotton, who 
came from Boston in Lincolnshire, England, and it 
was as a compliment to him, I Ve been told ; but I 
shall have to leave you now and go back to my 
place in the vanguard. Keep a sharp lookout, boys, 
and don’t let any one get the best of you. Be sure 
and let us know if any one approaches, and I 
would n’t keep too far behind either,” he added as 
he left them. 

At noon the entire party stopped in a beautiful 
grove by the roadside, and prepared their noonday 
meal. They had finished this and were about to 
resume their journey, when they were startled by 
the sound of approaching music. They could hear 
the drums and the fifes, and every moment the 
sound became plainer. 



“YOU CAN TELL NOW,” SAID MR. TERRILL ANXIOUSLY 








BLOCKING AN INCENDIARY. 


1 67 


“ What’s that? ” said Joseph. 

“I don’t know; it sounds like music,” said Mr. 
Terrill. 

“ I know that,” said Joseph, “ but what’s it for ? ” 
“ You can tell now,” said Mr. Terrill anxiously, as 
he looked down the road and saw a large body of 
soldiers approaching. 


CHAPTER XIX. 


RIDING IN THE NIGHT. 


S the body of riflemen drew near, the boys 



were impressed with their soldierly bearing 
and the size of the men. They all of them 
appeared to be so much larger than those who 
were in the companies with which they were 
familiar. 

When the soldiers had arrived at the grove where 
our little party was camping, the place evidently 
impressed the officers as one that would be desirable 
for them to use for a similar purpose, and accord- 
ingly the body was halted, and as the men broke 
ranks they broke also into song. 

The boys listened intently, and caught the follow- 
ing words of a song, which they afterwards learned 
was called the “ Pennsylvania Song ” : — 


We are the troop that ne’er will stoop 
To wretched slavery, 

Nor shall our seed, by our base deed, 
Despised vassals be ; 

Freedom we shall bequeath to them, 
Or we will bravely die ; 

Our greatest foe erelong shall know 
How much did Sandwich lie. 


168 


RIDING IN THE NIGHT. 


169 


And all the world shall know 
Americans are free ; 

Nor slaves nor cowards we will prove, 

Great Britain soon shall see. 

What ! can those British tyrants think 
Our fathers cross’d the main, 

And savage foes, and dangers met, 

To be enslaved by them ? 

If so, they are mistaken, 

For we willjather die ; 

And since they have become our foes, 

Their forces we defy. 

And all the world shall know 
Americans are free, 

Nor slaves nor cowards we will prove, 

Great Britain soon shall see. 

* 

Our little party soon learned that the leader was 
Captain Dowdle, and that his men were those of 
a company of riflemen, marching from Yorktown, 
Pennsylvania, to join General Washington at Cam- 
bridge. The captain was a bold, loud talking man, 
and the boys were greatly impressed with his valor, 
and not many weeks had gone by before they 
learned that his talk was not all talk, but that he was 
willing to carry into execution many of the plans 
which he was so constantly proposing. 

A pleasant hour was spent, during which all pre- 
pared their dinner and related their experiences to 
one another. 

John and Joseph watched the men with some- 


170 THREE COLONIAL ROYS. 

thing of a feeling of envy. They wished that they 
themselves might be able to join the riflemen, and 
when they saw the good times which the men evi- 
dently were having, they forgot the other side of 
war, so much more awful and true. 

Meanwhile they observed that Mr. Terrill was 
talking earnestly with Captain Dowdle, but it was 
with no suspicion that they observed the captain 
leave him, and Mr. Terrill come to where they were 
standing. 

“ I have been talking with the captain, boys,” said 
Mr. Terrill. 

“ He seems like a brave man,” said Joseph ; “ I 
wish I could join him.” 

“ He certainly is a very active man,” replied 
Mr. Terrill ; “ I don’t know how careful and safe he 
will be.” 

“You don’t want a man to be too safe,” said 
John ; “ there are some men who never will do any- 
thing because they are afraid they’ll make a mis- 
take. I ’d rather do something wrong once in 
a while, than not do anything at all.” 

“ I don’t know but what you ’re right. I ’ve come 
to about the same conclusion, for I ’ve made up my 
mind to put the loads we ’re carrying under his 
charge.” 

“Won’t you go on then?” said Joseph anxiously. 

“ Yes,” replied Mr. Terrill, “ but I don’t think you 
boys had better go. There’ll be nothing you can 


RIDING IN THE NIGHT. I7I 

do, and it may be only leading you into danger. 
There ’s a good deal of feeling around Boston I 
hear, and I promised your fathers that I would n’t 
lead you into any trouble, if I could help it.” 

“ Do you mean that we are to turn around and go 
home?” said Joseph. 

“ Yes, boys,” replied Mr. Terrill. 

“ But we ’ll meet danger going that way alone,” 
said Joseph. 

“ Not any but what you can get out of,” said Mr. 
Terrill, smiling too, as he saw how disappointed 
both the boys were at the suggestion he made ; but 
they could not argue the question with him, for 
boys were not to dispute with their elders in those 
days, and both had been told by their fathers that 
they had been placed under the charge of Mr. 
Terrill, and must obey him in all things. 

“I know you’d like to go with us, boys,” he con- 
tinued, “ but there really is no need of it, and I 
should n’t be acting in good faith if I allowed you 
to go on. We ’ve come three days from the river 
now, but on horseback, and without this slow load 
to keep you back, you ’ll make it easily in two.” 

It was in accord with this suggestion of Mr. 
Terrill, that as soon as the Pennsylvania riflemen 
resumed their march toward Cambridge, Mr. Terrill 
and his company, having in charge the two loads of 
powder, followed closely after them. 

The boys stood and watched them until they were 


l 7 2 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


out of sight down the road, and then mounting 
their own horses they set forth on their ride back 
to New Jersey. 

During the afternoon of that hot summer day, 
they met no one, and frequently stopped in the 
shade beneath the trees by the roadside to cool and 
rest their horses. 

Late in the afternoon they stopped at a little log- 
house which was approached from the road by a 
long lane that led through some clearings, and were 
fortunate enough to obtain some milk and eggs 
there. They found a cool spot by the roadside, and 
building a fire they soon were at work preparing 
their evening meal. 

They knew that only a little farther down the road 
there was a tavern, and there they determined to 
pass the night, and accordingly, as soon as they had 
finished their supper, they started on again, and 
before it was fairly dark had arrived at the place 
which they sought. 

Here there was a friendly welcome for them, and 
after they had seen that their horses were well 
taken care of, they sat for a little while on the piazza 
and listened to the talk of the landlord and the two 
men who, in addition to themselves, were the only 
guests ; but soon tiring of this conversation, which 
turned mostly upon the prospects for the crops, they 
went up to their room and in a brief time were sound 
asleep. 


RIDING IN THE NIGHT. 


173 


It was early on the next morning when they pre- 
pared to resume their journey, and they were not 
specially pleased when one of the men, whom they 
had seen the night before, and who was also a guest 
at the tavern, made his preparations to start at the 
same time they did, and evidently was going in the 
same direction. 

“You ’re starting out pretty early, boys,” he said. 
“ I ’m going the same way, I guess, so we ’ll jog on 
together for a piece.” 

The boys gave only a brief reply to his words, for 
they were suspicious of all strangers, and they 
remembered the last words that Mr. Terrill had 
given them, which were that they were to mind their 
own business. 

But their companion was an elderly man, and 
his face had such a kind, fatherly expression, 
that it was not long before the boys found their 
suspicions were disappearing, and they were in- 
terested listeners to the steady flow of words which 
he kept up. 

“ Almost everybody around here is afraid to 
express his opinion now-a-days, leastwise, lots of 
people are ; but I Ve lived in Connecticut too many 
years not to feel free to say what I think,” said their 
companion as they rode on together. “We’ve 
plenty of Tories here, most like the huckleberries 
you can see on them bushes,” he said, as he pointed 
to some on a rocky pasture near by. “I don’t 


*74 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


suppose we Ve as many though as you have around 
where you live.” 

He chuckled as he noticed the glances which 
the boys gave each other, and said : “I don’t 
blame you boys for keeping quiet, but I don’t need 
any one to tell me that you live not far from New 
York. You never saw a Connecticut Yankee who 
could n’t guess what he did n’t know. I don’t 
need to listen to your words very long without 
learning where you come from. I can tell by the 
way you leave out all the h’s in the middle of your 
words. Still Connecticut ’s good enough for me, 
and I ’m going to keep right on living here, and 
fight for it if I have to, too.” 

“ Where do you live?” said Joseph finally. 

“Oh, my home is at Hartford. You know the 
old Indian name for that is Suckiag. You know 
that and Wethersfield, only four miles away, were 
the first places settled in Connecticut.” 

“Who settled them?” continued Joseph. 

“ Oh, the Dutch from Nieu Amsterdam came up 
the Connecticut in 1633, and built a little fort near 
where Hartford now is. They still call the place 
Dutch Point.” 

“ I ’m glad of it,” said Joseph laughing, “for I ’ve 
a friend who is, or was, a Dutchman too.” 

“ I could ’a’ guessed that,” said the Yankee. 

“ Of course you could after I said it,” said 
Joseph. 


RIDING IN THE NIGHT. I 75 

“I always have heard,” said John, “that the 
English built the first house in Connecticut.” 

“Well, they did,” said their companion. “Just 
about the time when the Dutch came up the Con- 
necticut, William Holmes and some other men from 
Plymouth Colony came up the river in a boat, and 
they had on board the frame of a house ; and on 
the west side, right near Windsor, they built the 
first house. About two years afterwards, Rev. 
Thomas Hooker led a party, who lived while they 
were journeying mostly on the milk of a herd of 
cows, which they drove before them clear from Cam- 
bridge to the place where Holmes was. There 
were about a hundred of them.” 

“ How’d the Dutch like that?” said Joseph. 

“ They did n’t like it, and they had a good deal of 
trouble for twenty years, till Parliament finally took 
a hand in it, and that ended the Dutch so far as 
Connecticut was concerned. In 1639 the Common- 
wealth was organized at Hartford.” 

“ Yes,” said John, “ and I ’ve always heard they 
had some great laws too.” 

“ Yes, they did ; some people called them the 
Blue Laws; but they were founded upon the old 
laws the Jews had, that put a man to death if he 
worshipped any but the ‘ One Triune God,’ or for 
false swearing, or for man stealing ; and if any- 
body over sixteen years old cursed or struck his 
father, or for any one of a good many other things, 


I 76 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

they put him to death. They never got their charter 
till 1662, and then they made the New Haven 
Colony a part of Connecticut. Charles II gave it, 
but he did n’t know what he was doing ; and when 
his brother James came to the throne he was a 
narrow-minded bigot, and he formed a plan for hav- 
ing all the New England Colonies give up their 
charters, and then he was going to make the whole 
northern part of North America into twelve prov- 
inces, and put a governor-general over the whole of 
it. Of course the people did n’t like it, but King 
Jimmy did n’t care, and sent over Sir Edmund 
Andros as first governor-general. That was in 
1686, and he immediately told the Connecticut peo- 
ple to give up their charter, and made lots of prom- 
ises which he never kept.” 

“Did they give it up ? ” said Joseph. 

“No. In October <*f the next year, he came to 
Hartford with a lot of his soldiers, and he went into 
the place where the assembly was then in session, 
and told them to give up their charter. Some one 
brought it in and placed it on the table, and then 
all of a sudden the lights went out. There was a 
great scramble, and a shout from the crowd which 
had gathered outside. When the candles were 
lighted again, Andros looked all around for the 
charter, but he could n’t find it ; he made trouble 
for a time, but when the king was driven off from 
his throne it changed everything in America too, 


RIDING IN THE NIGHT . 177 

and the English decided that Connecticut had never 
given up her charter.” 

“ What had become of it?” said John. 

“Why, Captain Wadsworth that night when they 
blew out the candles, he just seized it, and he took 
it out and hid it in the trunk of a great oak tree 
that grew in front of the house of Samuel Wyllys 
who was one of the magistrates there. I don’t 
wonder some of the people here are pretty strong 
Whigs. Now they tell me,” said their companion, 
“that New York is almost all Tory.” 

“That isn’t so,” said John. “My father says the 
people are all right. It ’s mostly some of the lead- 
ing families that make up the traitors and Tories.” 

In this way the day passed on, and just at dusk 
they arrived at another tavern where their compan- 
ion decided to stop for the night; but when the 
boys understood that only seven miles farther on, 
there was another place where they could stop, and 
receive good accommodations, they resolved to 
push on. 

Accordingly they sent for supper, and after they 
had given their horses a rest, in spite of the fact 
that darkness was fast approaching, they started on 
once more. 

They had gone but a little ways when the dark- 
ness deepened and the rain began to fall. 

They could do nothing but trust to their horses. 
It was so dark they could scarcely see their hands 


i ?8 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


before their faces. Once or twice they stopped at 
a farmhouse and inquired the distance to the place 
they were seeking ; but each report seemed to make 
it farther, and it seemed to them that hours must 
have passed before they rode up in front of a little 
place which they called a tavern by courtesy, and from 
which at their “ Halloo ! ” a man with a lantern came 
forth and took their horses to the barn. The boys 
entered the house and found a large number of 
men within, who were shouting and drinking, and 
who hardly noticed the entrance of the new-comers. 

Under a chair on which one man was sitting, there 
was a large white bulldog, which laid back his ears 
and showed his teeth when the boys came in. 

At first they were afraid of him, but he soon 
quieted down, and they looked carefully at the 
dozen or more men who were before them. 

Suddenly John realized that one of the men was 
peering curiously at him. Across his cheek, in the 
dim light, John could see that there was a livid scar, 
and at once it flashed upon him that he must be one 
of the two men who had attempted to set fire to 
their loads a few nights previous ; but as soon as 
he had seen that John recognized him, he left the 
room, and the boys took the candle which the land- 
lord gave therq and started to go to bed. 


CHAPTER XX. 


A SAD LOSS. 



HE boys only partially undressed when they 


-*• went to their room, for the sounds which 
came from below were not at all reassuring. More 
and more boisterous became the shouts of the men, 
and louder and louder their calls every moment. 
For a half-hour the boys sat there and listened ; 
they were afraid for themselves, and fearful of the 
possibilities of the night. The little shower which 
had only begun before they had entered the house 
was becoming greater now, and the peals of thunder 
added to the confusion. The flashes of the light- 
ning became almost blinding, and the shouts from 
the drinking men below were heard only between 
the peals of thunder. Sleep was something impos- 
sible, and the boys decided that they would not 
attempt it, for some time at least. 

“ I don’t like it at all here,” said Joseph. “ I wish 
we ’d stayed back there where that man did.” 

“ Well, I can’t say that I waste any affection on 
my neighbors,” said John ; “ but we did n’t stay back 
there, and we are here, and I don’t see but we’ll 
have to make the best of it.” 

“ I don’t mind the place so much,” said Joseph, as 


V 


i8o 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


he glanced ruefully at the bed, “ but I don’t like the 
looks of some of those fellows at all. Even that 
bulldog had a better expression than some of the 
men, and besides, I thought I knew one of those 
men and half-think he knew us. Did you notice it, 
John ? ” he continued, as his companion had been 
silent while he was speaking. 

“Yes,” said John; “I think I did, and it’s the 
man that felt the end of your whip lash.” 

“ That ’s what I thought,” said Joseph ; “ and he 
did n’t look at us as if he was wasting any affection 
on us either.” 

“ I don’t know why he should,” said John. 

“ Well, what are you going to do ? ” said Joseph. 

“ Do ? I’m going to do nothing just at present,” 
replied John ; “ and if the other fellows will do just 
the same, I shall be perfectly contented. I wonder 
where they came from ? They ’re a lot of country- 
men that make up about as rough a looking crowd 
as I ever saw come together.” 

“ Do you know,” said Joseph, “ I ’d like to have 
seen the schoolmaster put in charge of such a gang. 
I wonder if they would have come up when he 
yelled out ‘ Mark me ! mark me ! ’ ” 

“ I thought he was the one that came up,” said 
John, and both boys laughed as they recalled the 
expression on the face of the Tory schoolmaster 
when the darning-needle hastened his movements 
on the morning of the last of their school days. 


A SAD LOSS. 


1 8 1 


“ Hark ! ” said Joseph. “ I believe there is some- 
body coming up the stairs.” 

“ Yes, there is,” said John in a whisper, when, 
after listening carefully, they heard the stairs creak 
and the sound of some one stepping stealthily along 
the floor. 

The boys certainly were afraid. The men below 
had been drinking hard, and none of the faces 
were at all reassuring. Evidently they could expect 
but little help from that source if trouble arose, and 
the probability was that trouble rather than aid 
was likely to come from them in any event. 

“ I brought this club upstairs with me,” said 
Joseph. “I saw one of them had cut it for a cane, 
but it was right near the chair I sat on, and so I took 
it when I saw the dog giving us such a warm look 
when we came in, and I brought it upstairs with me 
when I came to bed. It is n’t very heavy, but we 
can make some use of it if we have to.” 

“Hush!” said John in a low whisper. “He’s 
stopped right by our door.” 

They waited in silence, and saw and heard the 
latch slowly lifted, but they had turned the button 
on the door ; and when their visitor found that the 
door was fastened, he went on, and they could hear 
'his steps as he passed down the hall. 

“ I guess he only wanted to make a neighborly 
call,” said Joseph. 

“ Yes,” said John ; “ he was too drunk to know 


182 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


what he was doing. I don’t believe the men are 
bad ; they are only a party of rough countrymen, 
and when they get full of bad whiskey they are 
more apt to fall on each other than they are on any 
one else.” 

But brave as John’s words were, he had made up 
his mind that for him there should be no sleep for 
the rest of the night, but he was desirous for two or 
three reasons that Joseph should become quiet, and 
so he urged him to go to bed and he himself laid 
down beside him. 

The sounds which came from his companion soon 
convinced him that Joseph had forgotten all his 
troubles, and that not even the dangers which 
threatened them could keep him awake. 

Satisfied at last that his friend was asleep, John 
arose and went to the window. 

The moon was shining now, and the clouds had 
scattered, and the thunderstorm was over. The 
trees stood forth in the dim light and threw long 
shadows before them. Not a sound could be heard. 
Even the men who had been below had become 
quiet at last, and John was just beginning to chide 
himself for his feeling of suspicion, when he caught 
the sound of men coming around the corner of the 
tavern. Impressed by the sound, he waited and 
watched them as they came out into the moonlight 
and started towards the barn. 

There were three of them, and John thought one 


A SAD LOSS. 


183 

was the man whom he had recognized when he had 
entered the room below, but of this he was not 
certain. 

He heard a growl from the dog as the men 
opened the door of the barn, but evidently the dog 
recognized them, as he soon became quiet, and the 
men were lost to sight. 

John wondered what they wanted, and what they 
were going to do. He was beginning to feel 
sleepy in spite of himself, and his thoughts were 
strangely mingled. The picture of his father’s 
house, and of his mother, as she had stood on the 
porch when he bade her good-by, rose before him, 
and then he thought of the two loads of powder 
with which they had started for Cambridge, and he 
wondered how Mr. Terrill was getting along. 
Finally, his mind turned toward Evart and his sad 
disappearance. He wondered whether Evart had 
been picked up by some vessel, or whether he had 
perished miserably in the ocean. 

John shuddered as he thought of the possibilities 
of the long hunger and thirst which Evart might 
have been compelled to endure, and the picture 
came to his mind of some wave which might have 
overturned the little skiff in which his friend had 
been, and John thought of him as struggling for a 
few brief moments in the cold waters, and of some 
huge wave sweeping over him and burying him 
forever from sight. 


184 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

But his sad thoughts here were interrupted by 
sounds which came to him from the barn. Four 
men were just shutting the doors, and he saw that 
they had brought forth three horses. He could 
only dimly see the outlines of both men and horses, 
and he remembered afterwards how the dog had 
growled as if he were not at all pleased with the 
appearance of things. 

John watched them as three of them mounted 
and soon disappeared from his sight. The sound 
of the hoofs as they struck against the mud of the 
road, or an occasional stone, became fainter and 
fainter. 

He watched the fourth man as he again entered 
the barn and shut to the door after him. He won- 
dered what it all meant, and where the men could 
be going at that time of night, and whether they 
were going on any errand which concerned him and 
his friends or not ; but his own eyes were becoming 
dimmer, and in spite of his efforts he found that his 
head was nodding from time to time. 

Again and again he started up and strove to keep 
himself wide awake. He was determined that he 
would be on the watch till the morning came, and 
then, if the night were safely passed, that he and 
Joseph would depart before the rest of the men 
were awake. 

He still sat by the window and watched the 
clouds as they scudded across the sky, and listened 


A SAD LOSS. 


185 


for sounds which did not come. The crickets made 
the most of the noise, and John was startled once 
or twice by a moth which entered the window and 
drove slowly against his face. In spite of himself 
he was again nodding, and his head fell lower and 
lower, and the tired boy sitting by the window was 
soon soundly asleep. 

How long he slept he did not know, but he 
awoke with a start, and saw that there was just 
a little streak of light on the horizon. He turned 
to the bed and roused Joseph, a work which took 
him several minutes, but when at last his friend was 
thoroughly awake, he said in alow whisper: “It’s 
time for us to be going. We ’ll get something to 
eat before we start, if we can, but if we can’t, we ’ll 
have to push on without it.” 

“ Won’t you wait to pay the landlord for our 
splendid lodging?” asked Joseph. 

“ I sha’n’t wait to see him, but I ’ll pay him before 
we go ; at least, I ’ll give it to the man in the barn, 
and he can give it to the landlord,” replied John. 

“That ’sail right,” said Joseph. “He can’t find 
any fault if he only gets his money, though I 
have n’t any idea how much it will be, have you ? ” 

“ No, but the man in the barn can tell us, I guess. 
I ’m more afraid of the dog than I am of the land- 
lord just now; ” and he told his companion of what 
he had seen as he sat by the window during the 
nio-ht. “But there’s some one in the barn, for I 

o 


1 86 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

saw him go back and shut the door after him,” said 
John, “ and he’ll hear us, or at any rate he ’ll hear 
the dog, and the dog will hear us if we rattle on the 
door.” 

Accordingly the boys went down the creaking 
stairs of the old tavern as carefully as they could, 
feeling half-guilty, and wondering if the landlord 
would think, if he should see them, that they were 
trying to escape without paying for their night’s 
lodging ; but no one was disturbed by their de- 
parture, and unmolested they arrived at the barn. 

They found, as John had surmised, that the doors 
were fastened from within, and when they rattled 
them at first, no sound was heard, but when they 
repeated this with a little more vigor, the growling 
of the dog was heard, and soon the man they 
were waiting for came to the door, but he did not 
open it. 

“Who is it, and what do you want?” he called 
out in a sleepy tone. 

“ We want to get our horses,” said John. “ It ’s 
time for us to start ; we want to get a good piece of 
our journey done before the sun gets high, so just 
open the doors and give us our horses, and we ’ll 
pay you for our lodging and start off.” 

John was feeling quite elated. His courage had 
returned with the morning light, and now that they 
had succeeded in coming out of the tavern without 
attracting the attention of any of the villanous 


A SAD LOSS. 


1 87 


looking men whom he had seen on the night before, 
he felt that his strength would be equal to the day. 

“ Come, hurry up ! ” he said ; “ what makes you so 
slow? Why don’t you open the door?” he called 
out to the man within. 

The man seemed to hesitate, and the boys could 
hear him as he seemed to be muttering some things 
to himself, but in response to John’s queries, he 
slowly slipped back the bar c„nd opened the door. 

He appeared to be somewhat abashed as the boys 
entered, and the dog, which was sniffing at their 
heels unrestrained by his master, was becoming 
more and more threatening. 

“ Call off your dog,” said Joseph with a laugh. 
“ He thinks we ’re a bone, I guess. Well, I am 
about as dry as one, and hungry as a man can well 
be, but we ’ll take our horses and start right away.” 

The man called out to the dog, and Joseph 
pushed by him to go to the stalls in which their 
horses had been placed ; but in a moment he came 
back to John with an exclamation of dismay, and 
a very rueful face. 

“The horses aren’t here, John. They’re gone, 
as sure as you live.” 

‘ ‘ Gone ! ” said J ohn aghast. ‘ ‘ What do you mean ? ” 
and he pushed past his friend and ran to the places 
where their horses had been stalled the night before. 

Joseph’s words were only too true. The stalls 
were empty and the horses had gone. 


CHAPTER XXI. 


THE ACCUSERS ACCUSED. 

TT was a sad dilemma in which the boys found 
^ themselves. A hurried search through the barn 
soon convinced them that the horses had not been 
changed to other stalls, but that they evidently were 
gone. Joseph turned with an angry glance toward 
the hostler, and said : “ Where are our horses ? ” 

“ I don’t know,” replied the hostler, “ I did n’t 
have nothing to do with it.” 

“ But you were here all night,” said John, “ and 
they could n’t have gotten away without your know- 
ing it.” 

“ I don’t know anything about it,” replied the 
man doggedly; “I can’t tell.” 

“ Who were those three men that came here in 
the night ? ” said John. 

The man looked up quickly, as if surprised at 
John’s question, but in a moment he resumed his 
sullen manner, and repeated his former statements 
that he knew nothing about it, and that he could not 
tell what had become of them. 

“ Yes, you do know,” said John, becoming more 
angry every moment. “You let those three men 
take our horses, and you helped them get them, and 


THE ACCUSERS ACCUSED. 


189 


you shut the door after they went out, for I saw 
you. Men have been hanged for horse stealing 
before this, and if there ’s any such thing as a law in 
the land we ’ll see what it ’ll do for us.” 

The hostler, who was evidently a simple-minded 
fellow, was clearly frightened at the determined 
manner and the angry words of John, and began to 
stammer forth some kind of an explanation. 

He was surprised at the knowledge which John 
possessed, and had not counted upon any such 
thing on the part of the boys as had just been pre- 
sented to him ; but his wits slowly gathered, and he 
fell back into his sullen manner and the one state- 
ment that “ he knew nothing about it.” John was 
satisfied that he had been taught this, and had been 
told to deny all knowledge of the horses when the 
boys should discover their loss. 

“ Well, I ’ll rouse the landlord and I ’ll tell 
him all about it,” said John, “ and we ’ll see if 
something can’t be done. I saw the whole per- 
formance last night, and I know enough to convict 
you.” 

A grim smile crept over the face of the man at 
these words, but he only shrugged his shoulders by 
way of reply. 

John turned, and just as he started back towards 
the tavern he saw the landlord himself coming 
toward the barn. 

“ Our horses have been stolen,” said John angrily 


190 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


to him, “ and this fellow here helped the men who 
took them.” 

“ Stolen ! ” said the landlord, “ that ’s a pretty 
savage word. Horses don’t get stolen from my 
tavern. Horses! You didn’t have any horses 
when you came up here last night. Who saw you 
have any horses ? ” 

John considered a moment. The only man 
beside the landlord who had seen them when they 
rode up to the tavern had been the hostler. Cer- 
tainly the landlord was right when he said that no 
one else had seen them. 

“ But this man saw them,” said John, as he 
turned to the hostler. “You saw them, did n’t 
you ? ” 

The landlord looked at the man in a way not at all 
reassuring, and smiled as he heard him say, “ I 
could n’t see very well last night any way. ’T was 
awful dark. I don’t just know whether I saw any 
horses or not.” 

The boys were too surprised to say anything. 
There they were, a good many miles from home, 
their horses were gone, and the man before them 
certainly stood in no friendly attitude towards them. 
The boys were not at all reassured as the landlord 
became more and more angry. They could not help 
feeling that his anger was largely assumed, and they 
were more than suspicious that he knew what had 
become of their horses ; and as he talked to them 


THE ACCUSERS ACCUSED. I9I 

his voice became louder and louder, and his face 
more flushed. 

“ Stolen ! ” he thundered. “ I ’d like to know who 
says anything- ’s been stolen from this tavern. Such 
a thing has n’t happened here in years. It ’s a fine 
story you ’d get up about your coming here on 
horseback. You ’re a precious pair of rascals, both 
of you. All you want is to get hold of some horses 
for yourselves. You ’re not much better than horse 
thieves, either one of you. In fact one of the men 
in the tavern last night said he knew who you were, 
and what you were up to. He said you were ’round 
here spying out all you could, and were a-going to 
report whatever you could learn to Washington. I 
tell you, you want to get out of here, and just about 
as soon as I tell you, too. Tom, you might start 
that dog after them. Perhaps he ’d help them to 
get a good start, who knows ? ” 

His voice had become so loud that his last words 
were almost a shout. The boys were frightened. 
Here they were facing two men, and the dog worse 
than either. Their horses were gone, and they 
themselves were charged with being horse thieves 
and spies. 

If other men were in the tavern, they were friends 
of the landlord, and they could look for no help from 
that direction, and their hearts were not made bolder 
when they saw the hostler about to follow the direc- 
tion of the landlord, and begin to whistle through 


192 


THREE COLONTAL BOYS. 


his teeth — a sound which the dog at once under- 
stood, as he began to growl and approach the 
boys. 

John glanced at his friend, and as they saw that 
matters were becoming desperate, they turned and 
left the barn and started towards the road ; but the 
moment they turned their backs the dog had 
plucked up fresh courage and with a growl had 
started on a run after them. By good fortune 
Joseph had in his hand the heavy stick which 
he had taken to his room the night before, and 
which he had also taken with him without any 
thought as to its use, when they had gone out to 
the barn. 

The dog was gaining upon them, that was evi- 
dent. He was a savage fellow, and the boys knew 
that they were likely to have a struggle with him. 
They were quite a little distance from the barn now, 
but they still could see the two men standing in the 
door and laughing heartily as they watched the 
proceedings. 

“ Hold on, John ! ” said Joseph. “ In a moment 
that dog ’s bound to get at us, and I ’ll just give him 
a dose of this hickory ; ” and they both turned and 
faced their pursuer. 

He showed no signs of giving up the object he 
was chasing, and when he came within a yard of 
him, Joseph swung around his club and tried to hit 
him, but the dog was too quick for him and grasped 


THE ACCUSERS ACCUSED. 


193 


the end of it in his teeth. He stood there holding it 
a moment, his wicked little eyes gleaming with 
rage, watching for just the right opportunity to drop 
the stick, and seize the leg of Joseph ; but John, 
without a moment’s pause, had taken up a large 
stone and lifted it with both hands, and while the 
dog’s eyes were fastened on Joseph, he had brought 
it down with all his strength upon the dog’s back. 
With a whine and cry the savage animal relaxed his 
grasp upon the stick, and turned and began to crawl 
back towards the barn. 

“ You broke his back, John, and I don’t think the 
man likes it any better than the dog does,” said 
Joseph, for with a shout the men had started down 
the road towards them. 

“Let’s not wait for any talk with them,” said 
Joseph. “They’ve got our horses, and let’s get 
out of this before they get us too ; ” and the boys 
started on the run and soon left the men far behind 
them and out of sight. For a long time the boys 
ran, and when at last they stopped to take breath 
they were panting, and wet with perspiration. 

“They won’t chase us,” said John, “ I think ; but 
we ’ll push on again in a moment, and leave them 
behind. I ’ve got a few shillings in my pocket, and 
I guess we can manage to make our way home. 
One of them said we were n’t over twenty-five miles 
from the Hudson, and if we can once reach that, 
the rest of the way will be easy enough.” 


i 9 4 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


No farmhouse appeared as they journeyed on for 
some time, and having started without any break- 
fast they began to feel very hungry. They stopped 
to pick some berries,, and finding some cows in 
a pasture near the road, they helped themselves to 
milk, deeming themselves justified in the action 
as they had been engaged in their country’s 
service. 

Before noon, however, a farmer’s wife, at whose 
house they stopped for a short time, had prepared 
for them a good meal for which she refused to 
accept anything as pay ; and the boys started on 
again in better spirits than they had been that day. 
Their chief danger was passed, and their tramp 
through the country was an experience which meant 
little but pleasure to these strong and vigorous 
young men. 

It was late in the afternoon when they came to 
a place where the road divided. Whether to turn 
to the right or to the left they could not tell. They 
waited for some time, hoping some one would pass, 
who could tell them the proper direction. 

“There ’s no help for it, John, we’ll have to draw 
cuts,” said Joseph. 

“All right,” said John. “We can’t go very far 
astray, anyway,” and he laughed as Joseph prepared 
two sticks, one a trifle shorter than the other, and 
covering both with his hands, turned to John for 
him to. draw one. 


THE ACCUSERS ACCUSER). 1 95 

“ The long stick means the road to the right, and 
the short one, the one on the left,” he said. 

“ All right,” said John, laughing as he pulled one. 
“ Right it is, and we ’ll start at once.” 

And as the boys journeyed on, not at all certain, 
in spite of the drawing of cuts they had had, that 
they were going in the right direction, the road 
became rougher and rougher, and not a house did 
they pass for hours. 

It was now becoming dark, the air was sultry, and 
the shower of the previous night threatened to be 
repeated. As the darkness increased, Joseph began 
to talk of the bears and the catamounts, which he 
had heard had frequently been killed among the 
Connecticut hills. 

“Nonsense, Joe,” said' John, “it’s only in the 
winter that they have trouble with them. In the 
summer time they never bother ; they ’re all farther 
north then.” 

“Don’t you think we’d better go back?” said 
Joseph. 

“ No, I don’t believe we ’d better do that. This 
road must lead toward the river any way, and we 
might just as well keep on.” 

They were now among the hills, and as they 
climbed their sides, the darkness of the woods was 
intensified. To make matters worse, the rain began 
to fall, and they could scarcely see the pathway 
before them. The flashes of lightning revealed to 


196 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


them that they had been standing near a ledge, and 
for a moment they could see down into the deep 
ravine below them. 

“ If I ’d have gone over that,” said Joseph, with 
something that sounded very much like a sob, “ that 
would have been the end of me.” 

“ Do you want to give it up and stay here for the 
night?” asked John. 

“No,” said Joseph, “I’m almost wet through now. 
We have n’t any blankets, and the trees are dripping 
onus all the while. Dear me! I almost -wish I’d 
never come.” 

“ Never mind, Joe,” said John encouragingly, 
“just think of all the good that powder will do. 
Let ’s push on a little farther. I know it must be 
late, and even if we should pass a house, probably 
everybody would be in bed, but we might crawl into 
a barn and stay till morning.” 

But they ’d only gone a little distance when sud- 
denly John exclaimed: “Look there! There’s a 
light ahead, so you see we’re not lost after all.” 

“ Seems to be a good ways ahead,” said Joseph. 
“What is it, a brush heap ? ” 

“ No ; I think it ’s a light in some house; but we 
can very soon tell,” replied John ; and the boys 
pushed on as rapidly as they could in the darkness 
over the rough road. 

The rain was falling fast all the time, and in the 
flashes of the lightning the boys saw as they came 


THE ACCUSERS ACCUSED. 


197 


nearer the light, that there was a little clearing there, 
with a log house and small barn and corn-crib and 
one or two sheds near by. 

“ What do you think, Joe, shall we make for the 
barn, or shall we try the house? ” asked John. 

“Let’s try the house,” said Joseph; “I ’m pretty 
well tired out.” 

“Well, I’m going to see what’s in there first,” 
said John. “I’m going up by the window and 
peek in ; ” and he left his companion to follow his 
own suggestion ; but it was with a voice not at all 
reassuring that he told him, when he returned from 
his inspection, that the house was full of men. 

“ There are a half-dozen men there anyway,” he 
said ; and even as he spoke, from the place where 
they stood, they could see the door of the house 
open, and a man stand in the doorway and look out 
into the storm. The shouts from within reached 
the ears of the boys, but the door in a moment was 
closed once more, and nothing further could be 
heard. 

“What are you going to do, John ? We’ve had 
all we want to do with strange men in the past 
twenty-four hours, I think,” said Joseph. 

“ I know it,” said John ; “ but I ’m hungry and 
tired, and if I can get anything to eat in there, I ’m 
going to do it. Come on, we ’ll make a trial of it 
anyway; ” and reluctantly his companion followed 
him, as he started for the door of the house. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


TOWED BY THE PETREL. 

TT is time for us to return to the fortunes of 
Evart and his companion, Ethan Cobb, whom 
we left in the little boat, having just escaped from 
their English captors. The shot which had been 
fired after them did no damage and served rather 
as an incentive to Ethan, who held the oars, to 
exert all his strength. As a consequence the yawl 
was sent rapidly ahead, and soon the masts and 
spars of the schooner, which for several weeks had 
been their home, were left behind them in the 
darkness of the night. 

It was full ten minutes before Ethan rested on his 
oars, and then he told Evart to listen with him and 
to try to learn whether there were any signs of their 
being pursued. 

For a couple of minutes they waited there in 
silence, and Ethan was about to resume his task, 
when Evart in a low voice called upon him to listen 
again carefully. 

There could be no doubt that the faint sound 
which they heard was that of oars in the oar-locks. 
Evart could not see the face of his companion in the 
darkness, but he divined at once his purpose, when 

198 


TOWED BY THE PETREL. 


199 


Ethan once more took the oars and sent the little 
boat out of its course, and among the many vessels 
that were lying at anchor in the harbor. 

Their boat took its place beside another yawl 
which was fast to a sloop, and to any one who 
passed would present simply the appearance of 
belonging to that. Both of the escaping prisoners, 
as soon as their boat was made fast, stretched 
themselves upon the bottom and waited for events. 

Evart kept his head out of sight all the time, but 
Ethan raised just enough of his face to enable him 
to see what was going on about him, trusting to the 
darkness for concealment. 

They were not certain that they were being pur- 
sued, for it was more than likely that the boat 
belonged to some sailors who had been out for the 
night, and it did not seem at all probable that any 
pursuit of them would be made in a night so dark, 
and in a harbor where so many ships were lying. 

At any rate, the other boat soon passed them, 
and after waiting for an hour, as it seemed to them, 
and no signs of its return having been seen, they 
concluded that they were not being pursued and 
began again their search for the schooner on which 
Ethan thought he had caught a glimpse of some 
men he knew. 

For a long time they rowed about the harbor, and 
no sign of the schooner for which they were search- 
ing appeared. For several hours they continued 


200 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


their work, using great care, as they knew that they 
might be mistaken for river thieves and might bring 
upon them the wrath of some watchful sailor. 

At last it seemed as if the search must be aban- 
doned, at least for the present ; and Ethan pulled 
the little boat out of the channel and sent it among 
the many vessels that lined the shore. 

“We shall have to give it up for awhile, I guess,” 
he said. “ When it begins to get a little lighter 
we ’ll try it on once more, but you begin to see now 
what I was after, don’t you ?” 

“ Oh, I knew you were trying to get away,” said 
Evart. 

“ No ; I don’t mean that,” replied Ethan. “ I 
mean when I was sick on board.” 

“ No,” again said his companion ; “ only I thought 
your sickness was mighty queer. I never saw a 
sick man in my life who could groan so loud and eat 
so much.” 

Ethan chuckled and said : “ That was just it. Ye 
see I was a-groaning so that they’d know I was in 
bad health, and if anything happened that I warn’t 
seen for a day or two on deck, why, they would n’t 
miss me so much ; and then all the while I had to 
put away all the fodder I could so ’s to give me 
strength for my great exertions, which I was hoping 
soon to make.” 

“Then you were planning all the while to get 
away, were you ? ” said Evart. 


TOWED BY THE PETREL. 


201 


“ That’s just what I was, and I kept my eyes open 
to find the best plan to use. Well, last night when 
I saw those fools had left their oars in the yawl, 
why, I said to myself, that ’s providential. They left 
them oars there for me.” 

“ Well, I ’m glad you took me along,” said Evart. 

“ I thought it would n’t do to leave a homeless 
youngster like you behind ; I thought like enough 
you ’d get to pining for me, and the best way would 
be to fetch you along too.” 

“ Do you think the other men will all be hanged?” 
said Evart. 

“ I don’t know ; it looks a little that way ; but I ’m 
going to look around some more in the harbor now. 
It’s too dark to see much ; but I ’d rather be doing 
something than lying here on my oars waiting for 
the Britishers to find us out and shoot us like a rat 
in a hole ; ” and acting upon his own words, he once 
more sent the boat out into the harbor and they 
renewed their search. 

Up and down and in and out they went, peering 
at every vessel they passed, drawing in so close to 
many of them that they could see the forms and 
hear the words of the watchmen ; but this search, 
like their former, was of no avail, and either Ethan 
had been mistaken when he thought he had recog- 
nized some friends, or the schooner had disappeared. 

Ethan, however, insisted that both of these con- 
clusions were wrong, and that as soon as it was a 


202 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


little lighter he would have no difficulty in finding 
his friends ; but as their search in the darkness 
seemed to be unavailing, he soon decided that they 
must wait until it was lighter, and pulling out of the 
channel, he made arrangements for passing the 
remainder of the night. He insisted that his 
young companion should lie down in the bottom 
of the boat and get such sleep as he could. 

Evart was touched with the gentleness of his 
words and manner, and complying with his request, 
was soon soundly asleep ; but there was no sleep 
for Ethan. 

He was more anxious than he had been willing 
to acknowledge to his young friend, and was well 
aware that a crisis in their situation would come in 
the morning ; for he knew their escape then would 
be known, and that a careful search for the missing 
prisoners would be made. Whatever was to be 
done must be done quickly, and yet in the darkness 
there was little that could be accomplished. As 
patiently as he could, Ethan waited for the long 
hours to pass, and constantly was on the alert for 
any signs of danger. When the first faint streaks of 
the dawn appeared, however, he roused Evart, and 
once more they began their search for the friendly 
schooner. 

“I’m afraid you ’ve made a mistake,” said Evart 
after a time, as still no signs of the object of their 
search appeared. 


TOWED BY THE PETREL. 


203 


Ethan only shook his head by way of reply, and 
continued doggedly at his work. 

Suddenly Evart in a low tone called the attention 
of his companion to a yawl, which was approaching, 
in which there were three men. Ethan gave a long 
and careful look at the boat in the distance, and as 
it came on, his shrewd observation made him say to 
Evart : “They’re looking for us, as sure as you ’re 
born. Get down in the bottom of the boat. I ’m 
going to put right in here where we are, and make 
fast to this schooner,” said he, pointing to a vessel 
near them, on whose decks the men were already 
appearing, and evident signs of the boat’s departure 
were at hand. 

“I’m going to make fast to that other yawl 
they’ve got in tow,” said Ethan. “I don’t think 
any one here will notice us, and those men who are 
on the lookout for us will pass us by, unless they 
happen to recognize this boat.” 

Acting at once upon his own suggestion, the 
yawl in which they were was made fast to the little 
boat which the schooner had astern, and both men 
kept themselves out of sight. The sails of the 
schooner, however, were hoisted, and they knew 
that preparations for sailing at once were being 
made. 

“What’ll you do if they take us out to sea?” 
said Evart in a startled whisper. 

“Why, that’s the very thing I ’d like just now,” 


204 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


whispered back Ethan. “ If they ’ll only get us out 
of the harbor, in half an hour we can take care of 
ourselves. I can cast off or cut loose then, and 
I don’t care where she ’s going, we can get along all 
right.” 

Accordingly they both were still for more than 
a half-hour, and knew by the sound of the water 
against the side of the boat that they were being 
carried out to sea, for the waves soon became 
rougher, and there were many signs of their having 
left the harbor. But neither of them as yet had 
dared to lift his head, nor do anything that would 
make their presence known. 

“They’re going out with the tide, ye see,” whis- 
pered Ethan, “and we might just as w r ell go along 
with it ; ” but suddenly both were startled by the 
sound of voices of men who were talking in the 
stern of the schooner. 

“Where did these two yawls come from?” they 
heard one say. “ We had only one in tow.” 

“ Blamed if I know,” they heard his companion 
reply. 

“ Let ’s haul in and see,” said the first speaker; 
and although they could hear no more words, they 
knew they were being drawn in close to the schooner. 

It would be difficult to say who were the more 
surprised when the men looked down from the deck 
and saw in the yawl the anxious faces of Evart and 
Ethan looking up to them. 


TOWED BY THE PETREL. 205 

“ Come aboard ! come aboard ! will ye ? called out 
one of the men. “ What are ye, stowaways ? ” 

But Ethan would enter into no conversation with 
them, and requested to be taken at once into the 
presence of the captain, and acting upon his sugges- 
tion, they were brought before Captain McGill who 
was in command of the Petrel, which they after- 
wards learned was the name of the schooner. 

Ethan determined upon making a clean breast of 
the matter, as he shrewdly suspected with the tide 
and winds which he had, that the captain would not 
send them ashore, and he trusted to his own good 
fortune to make things right with him. 

The captain listened with surprise to the story 
which Ethan told him, and when he had finished, 
said : “ Well, I can’t send you ashore, and I don’t 
believe you could make it in this wind, and with the 
tide against you, too ; ” and as if to confirm his 
words, the wind, which was increasing every moment, 
threw some spray into their faces. 

“ Well, you see we are British subjects if we do 
live in the Colonies, and we have n’t any ill-will 
against the government, but I ’d like to be so bold 
as to ask what port you ’re bound for? ” said Ethan. 

“ We ’re going to the West Indies,” replied the 
captain. 

“All right, then, we’ll ship aboard, both of us, 
won’t we?” said he, turning to Evart. 

Evart nodded his head in reply, as the captain 


206 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


turned towards him, and said : “ We ’re a little short- 
handed and if you want to work your passage I ’ll 
let you do it. I ’ll see how well you do before I 
decide whether I ’ll hand you over to the authorities 
when we go ashore or not.” 

“ All right,” replied Ethan cheerfully. “ We ’ll 
take hold and do the best we can ; ” and he turned 
with his companion to follow one of the sailors, 
whom the captain had summoned to show them 
below. 

Evart noticed as they passed along the deck that 
one of the sailors was watching them with a startled 
and surprised expression upon his face which was 
not at all reassuring. Evidently the sailor knew, or 
thought he knew, who they were, but when his com- 
panion showed no signs of recognition, Evart also 
passed by the man without a word, and followed 
Ethan below. 

When they were by themselves, Ethan turned to 
him and said: “There’s one bad go for us here. 
We ’ve been lucky enough to get out of the clutches 
of the hangman, but did you notice that fellow who 
was watching us just now on deck ? ” 

“ Yes,” said Evart, “ he seemed to know you, but 
you did n’t seem to know him.” 

“ Well, I do know him,” said Ethan. “ Ye see 
I ’ve been engaged in what we call London 
Trading.” 

“ I ’m not surprised,” said Evart, for he knew the 


TOWED BY THE PETREL. 


207 


term as one which was applied to operations which 
some men who professed to be loyal friends of the 
Colonies were carrying on with the British. All the 
way from New London to Shrewsbury, light boats 
had been fitted out, and even though the men pre- 
tended to have no friendship for their oppressors, 
they were willing to have business dealings with 
them, although at first had only exchanged produce 
for English finery. 

They used light boats, similar to those used by 
whalers, about thirty feet in length and fitted with 
from four to twenty oars, so that they could go both 
silently and rapidly; but even the honest trading 
frequently gave place to marauding, and they seized 
a good deal of property which did not belong to 
them, and became on the water what the “ Cowboys” 
and “Skinners” were on the land in the South. 

They did not draw a distinction between friend 
and foe, and took many things which did not belong 
to them. That which these men did was called 
“ Whaleboat Warfare,” and those engaged in it were 
not properly on either side. 

Evart was not surprised to find that his com- 
panion had been somewhat engaged in that work, 
for the one quality which he always emphasized in 
himself and others was, “ being shrewd.” 

“ Yes,” continued Ethan, “ I had a hand in that 
‘ London Trading ’ and ‘ Whaleboat Warfare,’ and if 
ever I live to get home I shall go at it again ; but 


208 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


that man who scowled at us so as we passed him, 
I ’ve met before and only a few months back, too. 
I had some deals with him in my ‘ London Trading’ 
and he did n’t get the best of the bargain, so I don’t 
think he wastes any love on us.” 

“ Do you suppose he ’ll make any trouble for us? ” 
inquired Evart. 

“ Like enough, like enough, but it ’s better than 
stretching hemp in England, and we ’re nearer home 
too,” said Ethan ; “ and as we Ve got along all right 
so far, I don’t really think our luck will go against 
us yet,” he said, as they went on deck together. 

Evart stood by himself for some time and watched 
the low lines of the distant shore, which they were 
rapidly leaving, as they became fainter and fainter. 
The wind was with them and they were being swept 
rapidly onward. He remembered the words of 
Ethan, “ that whatever they had before them it was 
better than stretching hemp,” and with a brave 
heart he determined to make the best of it all, and 
in his heart he was thankful that they had started 
for the West Indies. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


ethan’s enemy’s triumph. 

TZ^THAN COBB was sure that the man had 
J — J recognized him, and the expression which he 
had upon his face promised little good ; but when 
the days passed and both Ethan and Evart had 
fallen cheerfully into the routine of life on board 
the ship, Ethan tried to be friendly with the sailor, 
although for the first few days he was met only with 
rebuffs. 

After a time he became less surly, and although 
he showed no signs of being friendly, he did not 
display the vindictive disposition which had made 
them fear him at first. But the days passed on and 
were without any events of interest. Evart tried to 
keep himself busy and soon made friends of all the 
sailors, and even the captain at times condescended 
to talk a little with him, and drew from him the story 
of his adventures. 

The life was not one that Evart enjoyed, but 
anything was better than being hanged in England, 
and he knew that while he was not going directly 
home, he still would be nearer there at the end of 
his voyage than he had even dared to hope a few 
days before. 


209 


2 IO 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


The men were all happy, and would sing much of 
the time as they were about their work. They were 
rough, good-hearted Englishmen, and received a 
treatment from their officers that to Evart seemed 
brutal in the extreme. Blows and oaths continually 
were given, but he soon concluded that this was what 
they expected, and in fact some of them seemed to be 
disappointed that they did not receive more. Some 
of the men seemed to measure the ability of the 
captain by the number of men he could knock down, 
and the life of the sailor of that day was anything 
but a happy one ; still the men seemed to expect no 
other treatment, and were evidently happy in their 
work and hopeful of the issue of the voyage. 

There was a steady run of good days, and scarcely 
a storm came to roughen the water. The captain 
again and again declared that never in all his experi- 
ence had he had such a trip before ; and several 
days before they had expected it they arrived at 
their destination at the West Indies. 

Evart was greatly impressed by what he saw. He 
was familiar with the sight of negroes, for many of 
his own neighbors had held them as slaves ; but it 
seemed to him that he never had seen so many 
before, nor any that were so black as those of the 
West Indies. 

When the boat had been made fast to the dock, 
Ethan and Evart decided that at once they would try 
to make arrangements to ship aboard 'some vessel 


ETHAN'S ENEMY'S TRIUMPH. 


2 I I 


bound for New York. If they could find one, they 
were thoroughly satisfied to have received their 
passage from England in return for their services, 
and bade the captain good-by with hearts that were 
hopeful and glad. They were rejoiced to find that 
there was a boat that was to sail on the morrow for 
New York, and they had no difficulty in arranging 
for their passage on the same terms as those which 
they had made on their voyage from England to the 
West Indies. 

“ We sha’n’t get very rich,” said Ethan. “ I more ’n 
half-think the captain ’s getting the best end of this 
bargain. That does n’t speak very well for a Con- 
necticut Yankee, and yet if I once get back safe 
and sound I ’ll make it up in a hurry, with my 
‘ Whale-boats ’ and ‘ London Trading.’ I don’t in- 
tend to be left very far behind in this deal, or in any 
other ; so if I can only get back to New York I 
think the bargain won’t be such a bad one after all.” 

“I’m thoroughly satisfied,” said Evart, “ if I can 
only get home. I know my father and mother 
probably think I ’m drowned, and if the other boys 
ever lived to get home, and I did n’t come with 
them, why, that will make them feel all the worse. 
The most I care about now is once more to set foot 
in Jersey, and I don’t care much how I get there.” 

They were surprised, as they walked up the 
street a little later, to meet the sailor who so plainly 
had shown his dislike for Ethan on board the 


212 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


schooner ; but he had put their suspicions to rest by 
his friendly intercourse and pleasant words, and he 
now hailed them in such a way that Evart blamed 
himself for ever having been suspicious of him. 

“ Come on with us,” said he to Ethan. “ I hear 
you are n’t going back with us, and we ’ll have a 
farewell glass together. I ’m sorry you are n’t 
going back to England with us.” 

“ No,” said Ethan ; “ we Ve shipped for New 

York and are going to sail to-morrow.” 

“ What time ? ” said the sailor carelessly. 

“ Five o’clock to-morrow afternoon,” replied 
Ethan promptly. “We shall be right plumb on 
time, too ; we don’t want to get left this trip.” 

“ No, of course you don’t,” said their companion. 
“ I should n’t either, if I ’d been away from home as 
long as you have.” 

In this way their conversation ran on, and he had 
taken them into a place with which he was evidently 
familiar, and placed before them some rum, of 
which Ethan began to drink very heavily. Evart 
tried hard to restrain his friend, but found that he 
had no influence with him in this line. 

“ New England rum ’s good enough,” said Ethan, 
“ though I can’t afford to drink very much of it, 
but Jamaky is much better, and when a friend 
stands treat, why, I ’m not the man to go back on 
that friend.” 

Evart thought the sailor’s face took on a scowl at 


ETHAN'S ENEMY'S TRIUMPH. 


213 


Ethan’s words, but he still plied Ethan with more 
rum, and soon had him doing the thing above all 
others which Evart did not want him to do, and that 
was giving the history of his life. “ London Trad- 
ing,” “ Whale-boat Warfare,” privateering, all he 
had done, and all he hoped to do, soon came out in 
his maudlin conversation, and Evart somehow felt 
certain that the sailor was drawing him out with 
some purpose, which he then could not understand. 

“ I ’ll tell you what,” said the sailor at last, “ if 
you ’re going back to the Colonies, you ought to 
take some things along with you. You could just 
as well make a few shillings as not, and I don’t 
believe you ’re going to get very rich during your 
passage without doing a little side work for your- 
self.” 

“That’s just what we’re not,” said Ethan in a 
thick voice. “ It ’s just a-givin’ of our time.” 

“Well, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do,” said 
the sailor. “ There ’s a nigger out here what ’s got 
a lot of things that I can sell in the old country, and 
he ’s going to let me take them and send him the 
money when I get through. Maybe he ’ll do that 
with you.” 

Ethan’s eyes gleamed. The sailor had appealed 
to the one motive which was the strongest in his 
life, for cupidity was stronger even than his liking 
for rum, and in response to his eager expressions 
the sailor had promised on the following morning to 


214 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


take him out to see the same old negro who was 
making such wondrous terms with him. 

Evart did not want to go. He was suspicious of 
the sailor and thoroughly satisfied that no good 
could come of their enterprise ; but he would not 
leave his companion, at least he would not then. 
He did not know but after all there might be some- 
thing in the sailor s words, and that he himself was 
more suspicious than he had any right to be. 

“ Do you think we ’d ought to go out here ? ” said 
he on the following morning, as they started to the 
place where they were to meet the sailor. “You 
know we ought to be aboard by noon, and they slip 
their anchor at five o’clock. I don’t want to run 
any risks, or take any chances at all ; I ’m a good 
deal more anxious to get to New York than I am to 
make all the money I can here.” 

“ That ’s all right, sonny,” replied Ethan ; “ we ’ll 
get back to New York and make some money, too.” 

Evart saw that Ethan was determined to follow 
up the suggestion of the sailor, and that his cupidity 
had been thoroughly aroused. He himself became 
more suspicious of the grand terms which the sailor 
had set forth, as he thought over the matter. The 
idea that a man, even an ignorant negro, would 
entrust valuable articles to an entire stranger, and 
then wait for his pay until after the sale had been 
made, seemed to him beyond the bounds of 
common sense. 


ETHAN'S ENEMY'S TRIUMPH. 21$ 

But no words of his, he soon saw, would restrain 
his friend now, and several times they stopped in 
their walk, and their sailor companion insisted upon 
treating Ethan again and again to Jamaica rum, as 
they went forth to meet the wonderful negro of 
whom he had told them. 

Evart was not quite certain in his own mind 
whether Ethan drank the rum chiefly because of his 
desire for it, or because he thought he was getting 
it so cheap that it would be the part of economy 
and a sharp bargain to take all of it that was 
possible for him at that time. 

At the last place in which they stopped they met 
the negro of whom the sailor had spoken, and at 
once entered into conversation with him. Evart 
was surprised at his intelligence. He spoke Eng- 
lish, not in the ordinary negro dialect, but better 
than either of his white companions ; but Evart was 
not at all pleased with him, and he became more 
and more suspicious of his intentions. 

He would not disclose what the articles of great 
value were. He said he had them concealed in 
a little house on the plantation which he worked, 
and that if Ethan cared to see them, he would show 
them to him there. He did not seem at all anxious 
to enter into negotiations, and his indifference, 
whether real or apparent, only served to make Ethan 
the more eager. 

Most of the talking was done by Ethan as the 


2 16 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

little party of three followed the black man, who at 
once led the way out of the town, and in the course 
of an hour came to a plantation, which they entered. 

The buildings and grounds were all so different 
from anything which Evart had seen before, that he 
would have been greatly interested in the sight if 
his heart had not been filled with such forebodings. 
He was distrustful of both the men who were with 
them, and was in constant fear that something might 
occur which would prevent them from being on 
board at the appointed time, and above everything 
else Evart was desirous of returning to New York 
at once. 

The little party at length came to a house built of 
logs, at a distance of a quarter of a mile from the 
road. 

“ In here I keep them,” said the black man 
abruptly. “ They’re safe here, and as nobody ever 
thinks of coming here, so nobody ’ll be likely to 
steal them ; ” and taking a key from his pocket, he 
unlocked and opened the door, and stepped back 
for Ethan to enter. 

Ethan’s eyes were bright now, rum and avarice 
being good companions, and both had left their 
mark upon him. He had hardly stepped inside the 
building, and Evart, who was close behind him, had 
stopped a moment upon the threshold, when the 
black man suddenly gave Evart a severe push and 
sent him against Ethan, who fell upon the floor. 


ETHAN'S ENEMY'S TRIUMPH. 2 I 7 

He started up angrily, but before he could reply 
the door had been shut to, and he heard the key 
turned in the lock. 

“ Trapped ! ” said Ethan. “ Trapped ! ” 

Evart was exceedingly angry and thoroughly 
frightened. There they were, shut within the strong 
walls of this log house, at least a quarter of a mile 
from any human habitation, without any likelihood 
of help coming to them, and no one but their cap- 
tors knowing where they were. 

There was no use in calling, although they 
shouted again and again. They tried to break 
down the door, but soon found that their efforts 
were of no avail. They were prisoners, safely 
confined in a place from which there was no 
immediate prospect of an escape. 

It was in Evart’s heart to say some very sharp 
words to his companion, but in the dim light he 
could see that Ethan was sobered, and the rueful 
expression upon his face kept him from saying any- 
thing that would add to his sorrow. There was 
nothing for them to do but to wait, and the long 
hours passed on in silence. 

“ I think I could kill that fellow,” said Ethan. 

“ Not before you get out of here though,” said 
Evart. 

“ No ; nor after it either, if I ever am lucky 
enough to get out. He ’s got too many friends on 
shipboard.” 


2 I 8 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


“ What do you suppose they mean to do with 
us ? ” said Evart. 

“ I have n’t any more idea than you have,” replied 
his companion. “ Here we are shut in, nobody 
knows where, nor for how long, nor why we’re 
here ; ” and they both relapsed once more into 
silence. 

They had had nothing to eat or drink, and when 
they knew by the darkness, which came at last, that 
the sun must be getting low, Evart was thinking of 
how their boat must have started for New York. 

His feelings were bitter against his companion, 
and his own discomfort, intensified by the heat of 
that day, did not add to his good-humor ; but he 
remained silent and waited. It was almost dark 
when they heard the sound of the key again in the 
lock ; the door was opened, but they saw at once 
that it was not by either of the men who had been 
with them when they had come. 

As soon as the door was opened they made a 
rush and started on the run back toward the shore ; 
but when they came to the dock, their hearts sank 
within them, and their worst fears were confirmed, 
for they saw at once that the ship had gone and 
that they had been left behind. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


STRANGE COMPANIONS. 

JOHN and Joseph slowly approached the door, 
J each one of them more afraid than he was will- 
ing to acknowledge to his companion, and yet know- 
ing that the house might present the least of the 
evils which threatened them. Perhaps it was be- 
cause he was more than half-afraid when he rapped 
on the door that John’s summons at first were not 
heard. 

Joseph had started back into the darkness almost 
unconsciously, but the lack of response which John 
met brought him once more to his side. John waited 
for a moment until there was comparative silence in 
the house and then rapped again much more loudly 
than before. 

This time he knew from the movements within 
that he had been heard, and in a short time the 
door was opened and two men stood before him who 
looked out into the night somewhat startled, as they 
evidently were not expecting visitors. 

“ Can you give us a place to sleep in to-night ? ” 
said John. “ We ’ve lost Our way and been caught 
in the storm. We ’ll pay you well.” 

The man who held the candle in his hand hesi- 


219 


220 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


tated a moment and then said : “ The house is full 
now ; I don’t see very well how I can take in any 
more.” 

“ Oh, well, you can let them in out of the rain 
any way ! ” said the man by his side. “ They ’re 
only boys, and they ’re wet through, too. They 
look forlorn enough. Have you had anything 
to eat to-day, my lads ? ” he added in a kindly tone. 

“ No,” replied both of the boys together, “ we ’ve 
had scarcely anything since morning.” 

“ Well, come in, come in,” said the man. “ Come 
in and get warm, any way, and we ’ll give you some- 
thing to eat, and then we ’ll see what can be done.” 

The boys entered the room and were surprised to 
see a company of eight men there. They were 
smoking and they evidently had been engaged in a 
very earnest conversation, for their faces were still 
flushed, and they looked more or less suspiciously at 
the new-comers. 

“ I can’t give you anything but some hasty 
puddin’, boys,” said the man who returned with the 
candle in his hand, and who was evidently their host. 

“ Well, we ’ll be glad enough to get that,” said 
John. 

“ That ’s what we will,” said Joseph, as their host 
turned to carry out his word. 

“ Where you been, boys ? ” said one of the men. 

“ Oh, we ’ve been quite a piece up in the coun- 
try,” said John. “ We did n’t know which road to 


STRANGE COMPANIONS . 


22 1 


take away back here where they divided, and I 
guess we ’ve got the wrong one.” 

“ That depends somewhat on where ye ’re going,” 
said one of the men with a laugh. 

“ Where you bound for, any way ? ” asked another 
of the men. 

“ We want to get back to New Jersey just as soon 
as we can,” replied John. 

“ New Jersey? ” said one of the men ; “ you ’re a 
good ways from home. Whereabouts in New Jersey 
is it ye live ? ” 

“ Elizabeth Town,” replied John. 

“ Ho ! ” said the man, “ do you happen to know 
any one there by the name of Hampton — Jonathan 
Hampton ? ” 

John looked at Joseph and laughed as he said : 
“ Well, I should say I do. He ’s a good friend of 
my father’s.” 

“ That ’s good,” said the other. “ I thought 
there ’s no Tory about you. Any young chap whose 
father is a friend of Jonathan Hampton is all right 
here, for I happen to know that Jonathan is n’t 
very much of a Tory.” 

“ That he is n’t,” said Joseph ; “ neither is John’s 
father, nor mine either. I guess we should n’t have 
been off on this business we ’ve just been a-doing if 
we’d had much Tory blood in us, either.” But as 
soon as he had said these words his face flushed as 
John’s eye fell upon him, and he muttered to 


2 22 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

* 

himself : “ There it is again. I ’m always talking 
too much ; perhaps I Ve got us into another 
scrape.” 

His words had served to arouse the curiosity of 
the men, and they insisted upon knowing what the 
“ business ” was to which Joseph had referred. 

John, to whom Joseph looked for a reply, hesi- 
tated a moment and then, recalling the expressions 
which had been made by the men about Jonathan 
Hampton and the Tories, at once decided that they 
must be strong friends of the Colonies, and he was 
inclined to think that the meeting together of so 
many men in such an out-of-the-way place might 
not be without its bearing upon the war itself. 
Besides, he knew that the powder was safe now, inas- 
much as it was under the protection of Captain 
Dowdle’s Pennsylvania riflemen, and so he told the 
most of the story to the men who were present. 
They were interested at once, and the boys saw by 
their attention that they were greatly pleased at what 
they heard. 

Joseph quickly recovered his spirits and joined in 
the conversation, and when he saw how pleased the 
company was, he went back and recounted the 
beginnings of this story, and told of the Tory school- 
master and his trouble with the boys. 

“ That ’s all right, boys,” said one of the men. 
“I’m glad to find you all straight. You ’re just 
among your old friends. Why, one of these men 


STRANGE COMPANIONS. 


223 


here took part in the ‘ Boston Massacre ’ that hap- 
pened more ’n five years ago.” 

“ Oh, yes ; I was in that,” said one of the men; 
“ but this man here,” he added as he laid his hand 
on the shoulder of the previous speaker, “ took a 
hand in New York before that, when the people 
beat the soldiers.” 

“Yes,” said the first speaker; “and that man 
over there,” and he pointed toward a man who was 
sitting quietly in a corner, “ was one of those whom 
Governor Tryon of North Carolina tried to punish 
in 1771, after he beat the regulars. He was a 
savage man, was Governor Tryon, and he drove a 
good many of the leaders across the mountains ; 
but then they ’ll do good work there ; they ’ll make 
good settlers, I guess.” 

“ Yes” said the second speaker; “and that man 
you see over there, some of the Britishers would 
like to get hold of. They think he might know 
something about how the Gaspee happened to get 
afire.” 

“ What was the Gaspee ? ” asked John. 

“ Why, that was the name of one of the king’s 
vessels. They tried to collect the duties from all 
the boats that came into Providence, you know, and 
the Rhode Island people were n’t very enthusiastic 
over those taxes, and somehow the Gaspee, which 
was very busy in gathering them, got on fire one 
time ; and when the fire got through, there was n’t 


224 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


much of the Gaspee left. They thought they knew 
who did it, but the Rhode Island people have a 
notion of their own, and the officers did n’t dare to 
do anything much. They ’d have had war there in 
short order if, they had. It’s broke out now around 
Boston ; but it would have started three years ago 
in Rhode Island if the British had tried to do any- 
thing then with my friend here and a few others.” 

John looked with renewed interest upon the com- 
pany. Evidently these men were met for a purpose, 
but what the purpose was they did not explain to 
him, and although the most of them seemed to be 
young men, he did not dare to ask many questions ; 
though in reply to their questions he gave a detailed 
account of their own expedition, and how they 
had left it when it had joined Captain Dowdle’s 
company. 

“ Dowdle ’s a good fellow,” said one of the men. 
“ I know him well. There won’t anybody touch that 
powder while he has it in charge, before it gets into 
Washington’s hands.” 

When they told of the loss of their horses, the 
men questioned them as to whether they would go 
back and attempt to regain them ; but John said : 
“ I don’t like to leave them there at all, but what 
can two boys do ? Those men have their friends 
all around, and there seem to be plenty of Tories in 
this part of the country, and we might only make a 
bad matter worse. We must go on, for we want to 


STRANGE COMPANIONS. 


225 


get home, and if you can let us sleep here on the 
floor to-night, why, we ’ll start early in the morning 
and pay you well for our lodging.” 

All the men laughed in reply, and their host said : 
“We’re good friends of the Colonies here. Ye 
need n’t have any fear nor any trouble at all. Three 
of these men are going down to New York early 
to-morrow morning by boat, and I rather think they 
might make a place for you on board if you would 
like to have it.” 

“ That ’s what we will,” said one of the men, 
“ and be glad of your company, too.” 

“Why, are we near the river?” said John in sur- 
prise. “ I did n’t know we had come near the 
Hudson yet.” 

“ Oh, somewhat near ; about half a mile from it,” 
said their host. 

“ Then we were not so much out of our way after 
all,” said John. 

It was late in the night before they stopped talk- 
ing, and long after that before all were asleep. The 
boys stretched themselves on the floor and slept as 
only tired boys know how to do. Their long tramp 
on the previous day had thoroughly wearied them, 
and as a consequence they were the last ones awake 
on the following morning, and then they had to be 
roused by their host, who shook them by their 
shoulders and called aloud in their ears. 

It was not yet light when they had eaten their 


226 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


breakfast and the little party broke up. Three of 
the men, as has been said, were to go to New York 
by boat, while two were to remain at the house, and 
all of the rest started off in another direction. 

“ We ’ll keep an eye out for your horses,” said 
one of them, as they bade the boys good-by, 
when they started up the road by which John and 
Joseph had come on the preceding evening. But 
in company now with the three who were going 
towards the river, the boys started, after having 
bidden good-by and expressed their thanks to their 
host, and it was but a few moments before they 
were on the shore in a little cove somewhat hidden 
from the view of any one who might be passing on 
the river. They found the little sloop, which to the 
boys seemed a marvel of speed and beauty, and on 
which they started for New York. 

“ How far are we from the city ?” said Joseph. 

“ Oh, about thirty-five miles or so,” replied one 
of the men. “ We won’t take a very long time in 
getting there, if we have any decent wind.” 

“You ’ve got a boat here that can sail it in about 
as good time as any one I ever saw, or I ’m no 
judge,” said Joseph as he looked over the little 
sloop with a critical eye, and passed judgment upon 
her sailing qualities. 

“ We have to have a boat that can sail,” said one 
of the men. “ We’ve important business on hand, 
and sometimes we want to get to New York in a 


STRANGE COMPANIONS. 227 

hurry. Then, too, we ’re in a great hurry to get 
out of there sometimes,” he added with a laugh. 

“ What is your business ? ” said Joseph. But the 
man to whom he spoke only frowned and said : 
“You’ve heard what small boys must do when 
they ’re in the presence of their elders, have n’t 
you ? ” 

“ Yes ; but you ’re not more than ten years older 
than I am,” said Joseph unabashed. 

“That may all be so,” said the other, “but we 
can’t tell you what we ’re going down for. Not that 
we ’re afraid to trust you,” he added hastily, as he 
saw Joseph’s face color slightly, “ but because it ’s 
something we shall hardly mention, even to our- 
selves, from now on till it ’s done. Sometimes walls 
have ears, and even the water might reflect the 
sound.” 

“ Well, I don’t want to know what your business 
is, if you don’t want to tell it,” said Joseph ; “ but 
you seemed so willing to ask us all about ours, that 
I thought I ’d only return the compliment.” 

The other men laughed, and the speaker said : 
“ It does look so, does n’t it ? But you know last 
night you were strangers to us, and before we took 
you in, you had to give an account of yourselves. 
That was only fair.” 

“ Yes ; I remember somewhere,” said John, 
“ what the Bible says about taking strangers in, 
and who they may turn out to be.” 


228 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


But the air was too bracing and the sights along 
the riverside too full of interest to the boys to make 
them harbor any feeling of ill-humor, and they were 
too grateful to their companions for the shelter of the 
previous night, and for being carried to New York, 
in the predicament in which they found themselves 
after the loss of their horses, to find any fault with 
them ; and then there was inspiration in the thought 
that they were going home, after the longest absence 
either of them had ever known, and the interest 
which the story of their adventures would arouse 
in their families and friends was often in their 
thoughts. 

“You don’t suppose Evart’s come back since 
we Ve been gone, do you ? ” said Joseph in a low 
voice to John. 

John shook his head and was sober in a moment. 
“ I ’m afraid we never shall see him again. Do you 
know, I was just thinking of him, too.” 

“ Poor Evart ! Well, I ’m glad we ’re homeward 
bound, and I only wish he was, too,” said Joseph, as 
he turned to see what he could do to be of assist- 
ance on board the boat. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


THE SCHOOLMASTER MYSTIFIES THE BOYS. 

\ \ 7TTHOUT any events of special interest occur- 
* * ring during the voyage, the little party 
sailed on, and the same day they arrived at the city. 
Here the boys were fortunate enough to find a 
party just about to sail for Elizabeth Town. They 
easily made arrangements by which they were to be 
carried home, and late that night they arrived at the 
lower end of the town. As they walked up the 
long street that led from the dock, few people were 
to be seen, and the light of a candle here and there 
showed them how late it was. They separated at 
the corner of the street, and each started at once 
for his own home. 

When John arrived at his fathers house, not 
a light was to be seen, and as he opened the gate 
he was saluted by a growl from his dog that came 
around from the garden to see who was the dis- 
turber at that time of night ; but a word from the 
boy not only quieted the dog, but brought him 
whining and fawning to his feet. 

It was some time before John succeeded in awaken- 
ing his father, and when at last, by dint of his loud 
raps on the door, his father came downstairs with 

229 


230 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


a candle in his hands. He was greatly surprised at 
John’s return, and at first thought that something 
must have gone wrong with the expedition ; but the 
assurance which his boy gave him of its success 
soon put his heart at rest, and by the time that his 
mother had appeared and prepared something for 
him to eat, the most of the story had been told. 

They were deeply interested in the account which 
John gave them, and Mr. Shotwell was certain that 
the little store of powder would be carried safely 
now to the headquarters of the army, for Captain 
Dowdle and his staunch company of Pennsylvania 
riflemen were known to him by reputation. 

“ I think you have shown very good judgment for 
so young a man,” said his father. “ I feel very much 
pleased with the expedition, and with your share 
in it.” 

This was the highest praise John had ever known 
his father to bestow upon him, and when he went up- 
stairs to his own room, it was with a. heart that was 
unusually light. Pleased at the praise of his father, 
and glad to be at home once more, and not a little 
proud of his share in the events through which he 
had successfully passed, which even the loss of his 
horse could not greatly mar, he was soon soundly 
asleep, and on the morrow was thoroughly rested. 

“John, be sure that you don’t tell any one where 
you have been, and what you went for,” said his 
father as John was about to leave the house. “ I 


THE SCHOOLMASTER MYSTIFIES THE BOYS. 23 1 

don’t want any one around here to know that the 
powder has been sent away. We feel very much 
afraid, at least some of us do, that it might make 
trouble for us at home. The people here would n’t 
like to feel that they had nothing to fight with, if 
worst came to worst.” 

“ Well, what made you send it away then ? ” 
said John, “if that’s the way the people feel, and 
there surely is danger here. It does n’t seem right 
to send it all away.” 

“We’re going to have some more very soon,” 
said his father quietly, “ and it was simply a ques- 
tion of where it would be the most useful. We are 
receiving great reports from Cambridge, and I know 
they have need of all the help they can get.” 

“Do you hear anything about the British?” 
asked John. 

“I saw in the paper the other day,” replied his 
father, “ that General Gage’s army was divided into 
three companies : the first was under the ground, 
the second was above it, and the third was in the 
hospital, and it was said that the general had 
received express orders for the second and third 
companies to march after the first.” 

John laughed and said : “ I don’t suppose they ’ll 
do it right away, though that ’s the reason very 
likely why we sent on the powder, so as to help 
them on.” 

“ The Continentals are showing good spirit,” said 


232 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


his father. “ I have heard that General Putnam had 
all the forces under his command come together on 
Prospect Hill and the declaration of the Continental 
Congress, which set forth the causes and necessity 
of taking up arms, was read in the presence of them 
all. Then the general had the Reverend Mr. Leon- 
ard, his chaplain, make a prayer, and at a signal 
the whole army at its close made their Amen consist 
of three cheers. Then there was a cannon fired from 
the fort, and the standard which General Putnam 
had lately received was flourished in the sight of all.” 

“ The standard ? ” said. John. “ What standard ? ” 

“Why, it was one which had been sent to the 
general, and had on one side the words, ‘ An Appeal 
to Heaven/ and on the other, ‘ Qui Transtulit 
Sustinet/ ” 

“ Some one said that the British over on Bunkers 
Hill were the Philistines, and that the Yankees were 
the Israelites. I suppose that Washington would be 
the Samson, wouldn’t he?” said John. 

“ I hope he ’ll be more like David,” said his 
father. “ We ’ve had some fast days while you 
have been away. There were large congregations 
in all the churches in New York, I am told, and 
Congress has observed the day also.” 

“ Well, I don’t know that I ’m sorry I was away 
then,” said John ; but as he saw his father frown at 
his words, he said no more. 

A rumor spread in a little while that General 


THE SCHOOLMASTER MYSTIFIES THE BOYS. 233 

Gage had surrendered the command of the army 
to General Howe, and that he had become only a 
civil governor now, and that his own army was as 
bitter against him as the Boston people were ; and 
another report also came from Cambridge that 
Captain Dowdle had arrived at Cambridge about 
one o’clock one day, and that on the very day on 
which he arrived he made a proposition to General 
Washington to attack the British transports that 
were stationed in the Charles River. 

The general declined his offer, but used him and 
his men a few nights later. The regulars had been 
cutting trees and throwing up a line on Charlestown 
Neck. Captain Dowdle’s men were ordered to cut 
them off, so the captain took thirty-nine of his own 
men and filed off to the right of Bunker’s Hill, and 
by creeping on their hands and knees, got into their 
rear without being seen. Lieutenant Miller led 
another division of forty men, and he got around 
behind the sentinels on the left, and was within a 
few yards of joining the other division, when a 
party of regulars, coming down the hill to relieve 
the guard, crossed our men as they were lying on 
the ground. The regulars were surprised, but as 
soon as they saw our soldiers they fired. Captain 
Dowdle’s men returned the salute, and killed several 
of the British, and brought off some prisoners. 
This was a sample of the engagements that were 
said to be occurring on almost every night. 


2 34 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


About this time another company of Pennsylvania 
riflemen passed through Elizabeth Town on their 
way to Cambridge. 

The boys were greatly interested in the appear- 
ance they presented, for there were about one 
hundred and thirty of them, all active and young, 
and some of them had scars on their bodies which 
showed the results of previous engagements with 
the Indians. One of the men showed the boys four 
wounds which he had received, where bullets had 
passed through his body. 

Great stories were told of their prowess, and the 
boys were eager listeners to all that was told of 
them. One story was that there were two brothers 
in the company who took a piece of board, five 
inches broad and seven inches long, and tacked on 
it a little piece of white paper about as large as a 
dollar, and then one of the brothers held the board 
up between his knees, and the other, pacing off 
sixty yards, and without any kind of rest, shot eight 
bullets through the paper and never touched his 
brother. It was said that another one of the com- 
pany held in his hand a barrel stave with one edge 
placed close to his side, while one of his fellow 
soldiers, sixty yards away, sent several bullets 
through it, and no one seemed to be afraid of the 
bullet touching him. 

The people who saw this were amazed, and were 
more than surprised when they were told that there 


THE SCHOOLMASTER MYSTIFIES THE BOYS. 235 

were fifty men in the same company who could do 
as well as this, and that there was not one who 
could not “ ply,” as they termed it, nineteen bullets 
out of twenty within an inch of the head of a ten- 
penny nail. 

The soldiers seemed to take delight in the sur- 
prise which they had aroused, and were evidently 
proud of the admiration of their skill, which was 
expressed on every side. They wanted to put some 
apples on their heads and then have some of their 
own men, at a distance of about sixty yards, shoot 
them off ; but this was too much for the good 
people of the town, and they said they would not 
be witnesses to such foolhardy acts. 

At night a fire was kindled around a pole and the 
company, all naked to the waist and painted like 
Indians, showed the great crowd of people which 
had gathered what an Indian war-dance was like. 
Captain Cresap, who was in charge of the company, 
was wonderfully agile, and drew forth the praises 
of every one by his quickness and strength ; and 
when they resumed their march for Cambridge the 
boys, at least, thought that the British soldiers could 
not stand long against such men as they had seen ; 
but they little knew the wonderful resources and the 
power that Great Britain could use if she chose. 

But the days passed on, and the boys found that 
with all the excitement the time often hung heavily 
on their hands. Like their elders, they lived in 


236 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


constant expectation of something happening, and 
in the fever of this excitement anything like steady 
work seemed out of the question. 

One day the boys had gone down the bay to test 
the report which had come that the weak-fish were 
biting well, and after spending a few hours there 
had satisfied themselves that the report had told 
only a part of the truth, for they soon covered the 
bottom of their boat with beauties and had started 
for home again. It was late in the afternoon, and 
the land breeze had given place to one from the 
sea, and the boys were rejoicing in the change 
which had come from the sweltering heat of the 
afternoon. 

John was rowing, and leisurely was sending the 
little skiff ahead, and as they had been quietly com- 
ing up the bay, he had turned his head to see what 
there was before him. He stopped for a moment as 
he noticed a little skiff put out from the shore of 
Staten Island. He watched it as it was sent ahead 
by the strong and steady strokes of the oarsman, and 
then picked up his own oars once more and resumed 
his work. He had taken but a few strokes, however, 
before Joseph suddenly interrupted him with the 
exclamation : “ John, look at that skiff! Who is that 
in there ? ” 

John at once turned to look, and after carefully 
observing the oarsman in the other boat, he turned 
towards Joseph and looked at him with a puzzled 


THE SCHOOLMASTER MYSTIFIES THE BOYS. 237 

expression. Without waiting for him to say any- 
thing, Joseph quickly said in a low tone : “ John, 
that ’s Schoolmaster Chase. It is, as sure as you re 
born.” 

John only nodded his head by way of reply, and 
Joseph said : “ Do you suppose he can see us ? ” 

“ No,” said John, “ I don’t think he can ; he 
does n’t act as if he has seen us yet, any way. He 
was always a little short-sighted, anyhow, don’t you 
remember, and he never could see anything unless 
it commenced with Tory.” 

“What do you suppose he’s up to now?” said 
Joseph. 

“ I don’t know,” replied John. “ I ’m going to 
wait a moment and see if I can find out what his 
work means.” 

And acting upon his own suggestion he at once 
began to send the little boat slowly in the opposite 
direction. They both eagerly watched the school- 
master, whom they would not have recognized at the 
distance from him which they soon were, and they 
both were surprised when they saw him, as he drew 
near the Jersey shore, stop rowing and rise in his 
boat to look carefully all along the shore. 

“ He ’s waiting for something, or for somebody,” 
said Joseph. “ What do you suppose he ’s up to?” 

“ I don’t know,” replied John. “ Perhaps we ’ll 
find out if we don’t talk too much and have a little 
patience.” 


238 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


“ Look there ! see that ! ” said Joseph in a low 
tone quickly. “ See that white flag over there ; 
somebody ’s waving it right over there by the mead- 
ows.” And quickly heeding his companion’s words, 
John looked in the direction in which he pointed, 
and could see clearly, at a little distance from the 
shore, a white flag which some one evidently was 
waving. 

“ That ’s a signal of some kind,” said John. 
“Here’s something interesting, and I ’m interested 
enough to find out what it is if I can.” 

As soon as the schoolmaster caught sight of the 
waving flag, he at once began to row rapidly, and 
soon was out of sight on the New Jersey side. The 
boys waited for a little while where they were, and 
but few moments had passed before the school- 
master again appeared, and began to row rapidly 
toward Staten Island and was soon lost to sight. 

“ Let ’s go up and see what there is there,” said 
John. 

“ All right,” replied Joseph ; “ this is almost as 
much fun as watching those fellows when they were 
trying to set fire to our powder. There ’s some 
mischief here, and I ’m for finding out what it is.” 

John took 'up his oars and began to row for the 
point on the Jersey shore where the schoolmaster 
had disappeared, resolved to unravel the mystery, if 
it lay within his power. 



ti 



LOOK THERE! SEE THAT!” SAID JOSEPH 







CHAPTER XXVI. 


JOHN RESOLVES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. 

TT was almost dusk when the boys rowed in nearer 
the shore, and carefully observing the bank, 
they looked for the place where the schoolmaster 
had disappeared. The sun was now low, and as 
they went on Joseph glanced at his companion 
somewhat nervously, questioning by a look whether 
it would be wise for them in the approaching dark- 
ness to go on with their investigations or not ; but 
the determined look which John had upon his face 
somewhat reassured him. 

In silence they kept on with their search, and 
soon came to a marshy little inlet, which when the 
tide was in, as it then was, was full of water. 

“ This must be about the place,” said John in a 
low whisper. “ Shall we follow it up a little way ?” 

As Joseph nodded his head in reply, for he was 
determined not to show any fear if his companion 
did not, they began to row up the little crooked 
stream into which the tide was rapidly making. 

For five minutes they went on in silence, looking 
carefully on each side of them as they went, with- 
out any signs of anything unusual appearing. 
Suddenly Joseph uttered a low exclamation, and 

239 


240 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


pointing ahead of them, called his companion’s 
attention to a little cape not far distant, around 
which the little stream in its winding course passed. 
On this cape there was a small house, but it was so 
constructed as nearly to be concealed from the view 
of any one who might be passing. 

The reeds which covered the marsh had been 
placed on all sides of it, and even its roof was 
covered by them. It was only by chance that 
Joseph had chanced to notice it, as the rays of the 
setting sun fell upon it. 

“That shanty has something to do with the 
schoolmaster’s visit, I ’ll warrant,” said John, “ but 
if it had n’t been for your sharp eyes, Joe, we should 
have gone right by it without noticing it.” 

“ Are you going in ? ” said Joseph. 

“Yes, I think we had better try it,” replied John, 
“ although I don’t think we shall find anybody there. 
Besides it may not be anything anyway, but as 
long as we are here, I think we had better find out 
all we can.” 

“Yes, that’s so,” said Joseph in a low voice. 
“ I ’m just beginning to be interested. Don’t you 
think we had better call out first before we 
land ? ” 

“ Yes, I do,” said John, “ for we can pull up 
around the point if everything is n’t all right. 
You’ve got good lungs, Joe; you call out, will 
you ? ” 


JOHN RE SOL VES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. 2\\ 

Accordingly Joseph shouted: “ Hello-the-house ! 
Hello-the-house ! ” 

But no reply came to his call, and he repeated it 
several times; and then, as still no response was 
received, they both decided to land, and to see for 
themselves what the building was. It might be only 
a fisherman’s hut, and except for the suspicious 
actions of the schoolmaster, they would have passed 
it by even now without notice. 

“ Let’s look after the oars this time,” said Joseph, 
as he fixed the boat so that it would be ready for 
a speedy departure in case they found it neces- 
sary. Satisfied that everything in the boat was 
all right, they began to approach the building. 

They once more stopped and hailed the hut, but 
as no answer was received they went up to it and 
on one side they found a little door. 

The hut itself was built of heavy boards and 
beams, and while small, was very strong. They 
could find no window, and going back to the door 
they hammered upon it, at the same time calling 
upon any one who was within to open it for them, 
but still no response was made, and the question 
presented itself as to whether they had better 
attempt to break it in or not. 

“No,” said John, “we won’t break it in. It’s 
fast, though I can’t just see where nor how it ’s 
fastened. It seems to be a kind of a sliding door, 
and we might just as well go back to the boat now, 


242 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


as to wait any longer here ; we can’t get in, and it ’s 
going to be dark before long.” 

Acting upon his suggestion, the boys at once 
returned to the boat, and took their places as they 
had had them before, but they were hardly seated 
before John said in a low voice : — 

“ There ’s some one in that shanty.” 

“What?” said Joseph. “He didn’t make any 
noise if there was any one in there. What makes 
you think so ? ” 

“ Two or three times I thought I heard some- 
thing,” replied John, “ and the way that door was 
fastened makes me think it must have been fixed 
from the inside. Now I ’m just going to drop down 
below these rushes, and wait a little while and see 
what comes.” 

Joseph agreed to the proposition and they soon 
anchored their boat around the point, where it was 
out of sight of the hut, and at the same time, by stand- 
ing up, the boys could look over the tops of the inter- 
vening rushes, and without being seen themselves, 
could watch what was going on at the shanty. The 
sun had now set, but there was light enough for 
them to see the entire point clearly, and they stood 
and watched in silence. 

It seemed to Joseph that they had been standing 
there for a long time, and as nothing had been seen 
to verify his companion’s words, he was about to 
urge John to take his oars and to row for home 


JOHN RESOLVES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. 243 

when a low word from his friend caused him once 
more to look towards the shanty. 

John was certain that the door was opening. It 
was being pushed slowly backward, and in a moment 
there stepped forth a boy, who stopped for a 
moment and glanced suspiciously in every direction. 
Apparently satisfied with the result of this investiga- 
tion, he once more locked the door, and turned and 
ran towards the mainland. Joseph shouted to him, 
but he did not heed the summons, nor did he even 
stop to look in their direction. 

“ There must be a path through the swamp there 
somewhere,” said John, “ for he could n’t wade 
through that marsh if there was n’t ; you see they ’ve 
got two ways of getting at this spot, and if they get 
caught on one side they can escape by the other.” 

“ Well, what do you suppose it is, anyway? ” said 
Joseph. “ What does it all mean ? ” 

“ I don’t know any more than you do,” replied 
John ; “ but I ’m perfectly satisfied of one thing, and 
that is that there is some crooked work here. When 
I find a little shanty built out of solid timber as this 
is, and covered all over with rushes, so that any one 
would not be apt to notice it if he happened to be 
passing, and then I see Schoolmaster Chase row 
over from Staten Island, and wait here by the shore 
till he sees the signal which must have come from 
the shanty, and then row up the creek just about as 
far as the hut is, and then come back ; and when 


244 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


we go up there we see somebody come out of the 
shanty and run for the mainland, I tell you there ’s 
something wrong.” 

“ Who do you think that little fellow was ? ” 

“ It looked like Jimmie Todd.” 

“ The very one I thought of,” said Joseph, “ though 
it was so dark that I could n’t see very plainly. I 
wonder what he ’s doing here.” 

“ He is n’t here for the fun of it,” replied Joseph ; 
“you can make up your mind to that, first of all.” 

“ I know,” said John, “ but his father is a Whig. 
If he were a Tory, I should n’t wonder at his having 
dealings with the Staten Islanders, so I ’m greatly 
puzzled now ; but it ’s time we went home, and we ’ll 
leave this puzzle for another day.” 

Accordingly John took up his oars and began to 
row for home. The boys were silent most of the 
time, although occasionally one would break in with 
the exclamation, “ I wonder what it all means ! ” or, 
“ I wish I knew what the schoolmaster is up to ! ” 
But soon they turned into the creek, and by the time 
that they had rowed up to the stone bridge and 
made their little skiff fast to the shore it was almost 
dark. They made a string of the fish they had 
caught, and then started up the street for home. 

As they passed the Red Lion tavern they were 
surprised to see Jimmie Todd standing on the steps, 
the very one whom they had thought they had seen 
at the shanty on the marsh. 


JOHN RESOL VES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. 245 

He looked at the boys curiously as they passed, 
though this may have been because the boys both 
gave him such searching glances, and when they 
had gone farther up the street Joseph said : 
“ Does n’t that beat the Dutch ? I would have 
taken my oath that the boy we saw down there was 
Jimmie Todd, and here he is up on the Red Lion 
steps.” 

“Yes; but he might have taken the short cut 
home, you must remember,” replied John. “ It may 
have been the same boy who was on the steps of 
the Red Lion and at the shanty, and I think it was, 
too,” he said decidedly. 

The boys stopped to divide their fish, and then 
each went to his own home. That night John gave 
his father a long account of their experiences during 
the afternoon, and found him an interested listener. 

“ We ’re having a great deal of trouble,” said 
Mr. Shotwell, “ with some of our people, who while 
they pretend to be all friendly enough, can’t resist 
the temptation of furnishing the British with sup- 
plies. You see Staten Island is shut out from 
pretty much everything now ; it ’s filled with Tories, 
and some of our men are selling supplies to them 
on the sly, because there ’s such a big profit in it.” 

“ We felt sure that we knew who the little fellow 
was at the shanty,” said John. 

“ Who was it ? ” asked his father. 

“ Jimmie Todd.” 


246 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


Mr. Shotwell gave a low whistle of surprise when 
he heard the name, and was silent and thoughtful 
for a moment. 

“ Well, it may be so, it may be so,” he finally said, 
as he arose to prepare for bed, “ but Mr. Todd’s 
words are well enough, though I very much suspect 
that he ’s like a good many other men around here, 
who are good friends of the Colonies now, but who 
the first time that real trouble comes will swing off 
and be just as strong friends of the Tories as they 
were of the Whigs, and the chance to make a good 
profit now is proving too strong for him. I suspect 
there are a good many men who are trying the same 
thing, but perhaps we shall know more about it in a 
few days, and the best thing we can do just now is 
to go to bed ; ” and bidding his son good- night, he 
left John to go to his room. 

When John climbed into the high four-posted 
bed which stood in one corner of his room, he 
drew back the curtains, and before he went to sleep, 
his mind went over many of the exciting events 
through which he had passed within the last few 
weeks. First of all, his thoughts went out toward 
Evart and the time when he had disappeared in the 
dense fog of that day now so many weeks ago. Not 
one word had been heard from him since, and John, 
like the most of his friends, now had lost almost all 
hope of ever seeing his young comrade again. 

From Evart his thoughts went out to that march 


yOHN RESOLVES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. 247 

toward Boston which he had not finished, but he 
knew that General Washington must have the pow- 
der before this time, and he was glad of the part 
which he had been enabled to take. He wondered 
where his horse was, and whether the man who had 
taken it had ever been thrown by that trick of 
shying which he so often had, and then he thought 
of the puzzling events of the day which was just 
closing, and of the schoolmaster and his relation to 
that little house so snugly hidden in the marsh. 
Evidently there was some understanding which the 
schoolmaster had with the parties at the hut, but 
just what it was he could not determine. It was plain 
that whoever had built the hut wanted it concealed, 
and it was also clear that whatever dealings were 
had there, they were not for the public to know. 

“I’m going to find out about it,” said John to 
himself. “That’ll be a good piece of work for me, 
and Joe ’ll be a great help too, and if Evart were 
only here he’d be worth as much as both of us.” 

But John was becoming drowsy now, and as his 
thoughts began to wander, it seemed to him as if 
a minute only had passed before he heard the voice 
of his mother calling him to breakfast. 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


A CLEW. 

TI 70 R several days the boys did nothing towards 
carrying out their plans for solving the mys- 
tery of the hut on the marsh. In their conversations 
about the matter, they decided that it might be 
better for them to defer all investigations for a few 
days, and so turn aside suspicion in case Jimmie 
Todd had really suspected them of being the ones 
who had summoned him to come forth from the hut 
on the night of the schoolmaster’s visit. 

Meanwhile they saw the little fellow several times, 
and were unusually cordial to him. He had been 
accustomed to regard them as “ big boys,” and while 
at first he seemed to draw back from any friendly 
moves they made toward him, he soon seemed to 
lose his fear, and delighted in the notice of those to 
whom he had been accustomed to look up. 

Several times, in a quiet way, the boys in their 
conversations with him tried to lead him around to 
talk about the marsh and Schoolmaster Chase and 
the Tories of Staten Island, but the frightened look 
which he had upon his face whenever they spoke 
to him of these things, and the suspicion with 
which he at once regarded them caused them to 

248 


A CLEW. 


249 


desist, and they decided that but little could be 
expected from him. He evidently had had his 
instructions given him, and had learned his part well. 

“ Did you ever see a little fellow with such a close 
mouth ? ” said Joseph to John one day. “ Why, I 
believe he can keep a secret better than I can.” 

“ You don’t mean it,” said John derisively. 

“ Yes,” said Joseph soberly, not appreciating at all 
the quiet sarcasm of his friend’s words. “ Yes, he is 
very close-mouthed.” 

“ Well, I ’ve decided,” said John, “ that we can’t 
expect to find out anything from him, but I think 
that enough time has gone by to put the fear of any 
one to sleep. We ’ve been trying to make any one 
who is suspicious of us think that we were not the 
ones who went to the shanty, or else that we did n’t 
know anything about it.” 

“Well, what are you going to do ?” said Joseph. 
“ Are you going to give it up and let it go ?” 

“ Nay, verily,” replied John ; “ giving up is some- 
thing I never yet have learned to do, and I don’t 
think I ’ll begin to study it now.” 

“ Never give up ?” queried Joseph ; “ how about 
Nassau Hall? I thought you were the lad that was 
going to college there.” 

“ Well, I did n’t give up, did I ? ” said John. “ I 
was willing to go right on. ’T was that Tory of a 
schoolmaster that did the giving up.” 

“ Well, what are your plans now ? ” asked Joseph. 


250 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


“ I have thought of several,” replied John. “ I 
wanted to go down there and stay two or three 
nights on the marsh if necessary, but my mother 
did n’t want me to. She says the chills and fever 
grow on all the bushes down there.” 

“To say nothing about your not being able to 
keep awake,” said Joseph. 

“ Never mind that,” said John. “ But what do 
you think of this other plan ? You know we ’ve 
always had the reputation of being great fishermen ; 
suppose we begin again and start out in the after- 
noon, and arrange our plans so that we come back 
along about dark every day. That was the time you 
know when they had their performance before down 
there,* and if there is anything going on it ’s possible 
that we may learn something about it.” 

“ My father,” said Joseph, “ has been talking with 
Mr. Todd. In fact, he has rather made a point of it 
to keep watch of him a little in a quiet way, and he 
says he ’s more patriotic than ever he was. I think 
father is half-inclined to think that he ’s all right, 
and he thinks that either we were mistaken or else 
that Mr. Todd is about as deceitful a man as there is 
in the whole of New Jersey.” 

“Well, that ’s just what he is,” replied John half- 
angrily. “ He has n’t got grit enough to come right 
out and tell a straightforward lie. He ’s a mean 
sneak, and I always despised a sneak, for he ’s a 
man that is n’t brave enough to tell a bold lie. 


A CLEW. 


251 

He ’d do it if he dared to ; the trouble is he ’s too 
much of a coward to try it.” 

“ Well, all right,” said Joseph ; “ we’ll go fishing 
to-morrow, and then we ’ll try it ’most every day, 
and we ’ll see if something does n’t come.” 

For a week the boys kept up this plan, but noth- 
ing new was seen. Once or twice they went up the 
little inlet near which the house on the marsh had 
been built and tried the door, but they always found 
it heavily locked from the inside. They could not 
break it in, and besides, that was something they 
did not care to do ; but no signs of any man 
appeared, and the boat for which they were waiting, 
and which they hoped would come from Staten 
Island, had not yet been seen. 

“ My father says,” remarked Joseph one day, 
“ that he does n’t believe there’s anything in it at 
all. It ’s nothing but a boy’s story, and that even if 
we did see the schoolmaster, which he does n’t more 
than half-believe, he says that it does n’t mean any- 
thing, and as far as the house down on the marsh 
is concerned he says it is only a fish shanty, and it 
has n’t been used for years.” 

“ That may all be so,” replied John half-angrily, 
“but old fish shanties don’t have new locks that 
nobody can break, and I don’t believe they have 
paths out through the marsh made of good boards 
wherever a board is needed, and new boards at 
that; for I ’ve tried the path, and I tell you it’s one 


252 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


that ’s being used now, only we have n’t been lucky 
enough to be on hand at just the time when it was 
in use.” 

“Oh, well! we’ll try it again to-morrow,” said 
Joseph, “and maybe we’ll have better luck, though 
Friday’s an unlucky day.” 

“Why is it an unlucky day?” said John. “ I ’ve 
always had the best luck I ever had in my life on 
Friday. Don’t you remember when we got home 
from that trip when we were drifting down the 
sound, and don’t you remember that it was on Fri- 
day when we found those friends to help us up 
on the Hudson ? ” 

“ Well, I only hope it will prove so now,” said 
Joseph. “ My mother says she ’s getting tired of 
the fish we bring home, and all the neighbors abso- 
lutely refuse to accept any more, even as a present. 
They ’ll begin to think pretty soon we ’re fishing 
for more than weak fish.” 

“ Well, we are,” said John, “ and to-morrow is the 
day when our bait will be taken.” 

“ Well', I hope so,” said Joseph, as he started for 
home. 

Accordingly, acting upon the plans they had formed, 
the boys started out on the following afternoon as if 
they were going fishing as usual, and soon rowed 
down the creek and around the bay ; but no success 
attended their efforts to lure the fish with their bait, 
and all through the afternoon they caught nothing. 


A CLEW. 


253 


“This is your lucky Friday, is it?” said Joseph. 
“If this is a sample of it, I don’t want to see any 
more. If this is your good luck, I would n’t mind 
seeing what your poor luck would be.” 

“ Never mind,” said John, “ the day is n’t done 
yet, though the luck does n’t seem to be improving 
any,” he added as a drizzling rain began to fall. 

“ Yes, and the fog ’s coming up too,” said Joseph. 

“ I think I ’ve filled my capacity full of fog 
(capacity was the word Schoolmaster Chase used, 
was n’t it ?) ,” said John. “ Oh, well, my capacity for 
fog is thoroughly satisfied.” 

“ Oh, dear! I never see a fog now without think- 
ing of Evart. Do you remember how he dis- 
appeared that day, just vanished into thin air, the 
way our Virgil says the father of ./Eneas did when 
he tried to put his arms around his neck ? ” 

“ Was it his father or his wife ? ” said John. 

“ I guess it was both of them,” replied Joseph, 
“ but do you know I ’ve thought a good deal of 
Evart in the last week. I wonder if he really is 
dead?” 

“ I only wish I could say, said John soberly, 
“ I Ve been thinking of him a good deal, too. 
Sometimes when I get into bed he ’s the last one in 
my mind ; but I ’m not going to stay here in this 
rain and fog. We ’d better be putting for home ; ” 
and he took up his oars and began to send the little 
skiff up the bay. He kept near the shore and both 


254 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


boys were silent, the thought of Evart, about whom 
they had last been talking, making both of them 
serious and sober. 

Suddenly Joseph in a low tone called upon John 
to stop rowing. 

“ Hark ! ” said he, “ can’t you hear oars ? There ’s 
somebody rowing ahead of us.” 

The fog was too thick for the boys to see any- 
thing that might be in front of them, but when John 
stopped rowing, they both listened intently. 

“That’s a boat, sure enough,” said Joseph, “but 
it sounds as if it was coming from land.” 

“ Why, we ’re farther up than I thought we were,” 
said John, “ and if the boat ’s coming out of the 
inlet in such a fog as this it means business.” 

“Let’s paddle up a little nearer,” said Joseph, 
“ and if we get close in to the shore, I don’t believe 
any one can see us, and we can tell if anything 
comes out of the inlet.” 

Accordingly John sent the boat a little farther up 
the shore, and then they both waited and listened. 
The sound of the rowing had almost ceased, 
although at times they still could hear it and then 
again it seemed to stop. 

“That’s because the inlet is so winding,” said 
John. “It’s coming though;” and as if to verify his 
words, in a little while they saw two boats put out 
from the inlet and start directly across the water for 
Staten Island, 


A CLEW. 


255 


The boys were satisfied, from the hurried glimpse 
they caught, that one of the boats was loaded and 
one was not ; and they were almost certain that 
there were two men in the boat which was carrying 
the load, but both boats soon disappeared in the 
fog, and while the sound of the oars still could 
be plainly heard, the boat’s treasures could not be 
seen. Before John could restrain him, Joseph set up 
a shout. 

“ Come back here ! Come back here ! Bring 
that stuff or we ’ll shoot you. You can’t run away 
from sheriffs in that way. We ’re after you, and if 
you don’t come right back here, we ’ll send a bullet 
after you.” 

John, angry as he was at what he thought was the 
rashness of his friend, could not keep from laugh- 
ing at the effect which Joseph’s words at once 
produced. The sound of the rowing stopped as 
suddenly as if the oars had been lost. The boys 
caught the dim sound as of voices, and then the 
rowing was once more resumed, as if the men in 
the boat were in desperation. The evident haste 
of the party to get away from the shores of New 
Jersey made the boys both laugh. 

“Let’s chase ’em, John! Let’s chase ’em!” 
and, acting upon his suggestion, John began to row, 
exerting all his strength ; and Joseph began to 
shout, John at times joining with him. It sounded 
to the men who were trying to escape as if a half- 


256 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


dozen men at least must be after them, as the boys 
varied their tones, shouting now together, and then 
separately. 

They had gone but a little way before they could 
make out the two boats in advance of them, which 
now had separated. 

“ Shall we chase one?” said John. 

“ Yes ; let’s get after it,” said Joseph. 

“ We ’ll have some fun anyway, but if they 
shoot, they ’ll have some fun with us,” said John 
soberly. 

“ Well, that boat ahead has only one in it, and he 
looks like a boy,” said Joseph. “ Let ’s go for him ; 
perhaps he can tell us all we want ; ” and setting up 
a shout again, they soon caught up with the boat 
and made it fast to their own. 

“ Jimmie Todd, as I ’m alive ! ” said Joseph. 

“ Let me go ! Let me go ! ” pleaded Jimmie. 

“ I ’m going to let you go,” said Joseph ; “ but 
not just yet.” 

John, who had said nothing to the frightened boy, 
here turned and said: “Jimmie, give me that key 
in your pocket. Then we ’ll see about letting 
you go.” 

Jimmie made no reply, but when John repeated 
his request, partly crying, he put his hand into his 
pocket and drew forth a key, which he handed to 
John. 

“ Now let me go ! Now let me go ! ” pleaded 


A CLEW. 


257 


the little fellow. “ You said you would, if I gave 
you the key.” 

“ Well, I ’m going to let you go,” said John, “ but 
not to Staten Island. We ’re going to take you 
back safe to Jersey. Come on, then, with us ; ” 
and in spite of the tears and pleadings of Jimmie, 
they began to row toward the shore, keeping his 
boat fast in tow. 

Joseph got in with him and rowed that boat, 
while John rowed the other. When they approached 
the shore they found, as they thought, that they 
were too far down the shore, and they turned and 
rowed up again ; but the inlet could not be found, 
and again they reversed their course, and a good 
half-hour had passed before they found the place 
for which they were seeking. 

“ Here it is ; we’ve found it now,” said John as 
he led the way, and the little party began to go up 
the inlet. 

When they reached the place where the hut was, 
as they leaped ashore, Jimmie tried to escape, and 
at first they were inclined to let him go, but in a 
moment Joseph ran after him, and soon caught him 
and brought him back to the hut. 

John meanwhile had been trying the key which 
Jimmie had given him, but without any success. 

“ You little rascal ! ” he said when Joseph re- 
turned with the struggling boyr “ This was n’t the 
key to this lock at all. Where is it ? ” and as the 


258 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


boy made no answer, they took him and searched 
him. 

They soon found a key, hanging from his neck 
by a string, which they knew at once must be that 
for which they were seeking, and, taking it from 
him, they started for the door. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


THE MYSTERY DEEPENS. 

J OHN and Joseph had taken only a few steps, as 
they started to approach the little hut, when 
they were startled by hearing Jimmie call out to 
them. His tones showed how eager he was, and 
the sound of his voice startled the boys who were 
open to every new impulse. 

“Don’t go there! O John, don’t go near the 
door, don’t, don’t, I beg of you.” 

“ Why, what ’s the trouble now ? ” said John, stop- 
ping a moment and turning to the boy who was 
trembling in his eagerness. He, however, only 
repeated the words he had uttered, pleading more 
earnestly with the adventurous young Jerseyman 
not to leave him. 

“ Never mind, Jimmie,” said John quietly. 
“Never mind, we’re going to see what there 
is in there. We ’ll be easy with you though, and 
if you don’t make any trouble now I don’t think that 
you ’ll have any later.” 

“ But, John,” said the boy who was now in 
tears, “I’m not begging for myself, honestly 
I ’m not ; but I ’m afraid to have you go there. 
It is n’t on my account at all, but on yours. 
259 


260 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


It ’s for your sakes only that I ’m begging you not 
t0g0 *” 

But the boys were not willing to listen to him, and 
although they had some difficulty in understanding 
the motives that had brought the change in Jimmie, 
they still were unwilling to give up their enterprise 
now that its solution seemed so near at hand, and, 
accordingly, they started on and left the younger 
boy on the bank, not at all afraid that he would 
make off with their boat. 

“ What do you suppose makes him talk that way ? ” 
said Joseph. “You don’t suppose there’s any 
great danger in this thing, do you ? ” 

“ I don’t know anything about that,” replied John ; 
“ all I know is that I ’m going to find out what that 
shanty contains ; ” but they stopped for a moment to 
look behind them at the boy who followed them with 
an anxious look, and they listened carefully to learn 
whether there was anything unusual at the h^t, but 
a deep silence lay upon everything. 

They could see the meadows all about them, and 
the air was heavy with the mist which shut them in. 
It made everything appear more dismal then usual. 
They could hear the sound in the inlet which the 
swift moving tide produced, and the figure of the 
trembling boy they had left behind them could now 
be seen dimly. Evidently both of them were some- 
what oppressed by the warning which Jimmie had 
given them, and yet neither was quite willing to 


THE MYSTERY DEEPENS. 


26l 


give up the hope of solving the mystery which had 
occupied their thoughts almost entirely during the 
past few days. John was the first to speak, and 
Joseph looked up quickly, as he broke the silence, 
and said : “ Oh, I ’m going on ! I have n’t come as 
far as this for nothing. Probably there is some 
danger, but then I ’ll risk it.” 

“You’re true blue, aren’t you, John?” said his 
friend. “ You don’t ask me to do anything that you 
would n’t do yourself. My grandfather told me the 
other day that one time when he was a boy his 
younger brother was with him out in the clearing, 
and they found a nest of bumblebees. My grand- 
father didn’t just want to tackle it, so he told his 
younger brother to break it up. He was afraid and 
said : ‘ They ’ll sting me ; I know they ’ll sting me ! ’ 
‘ Oh, no, they won’t,’ said my grandfather ; ‘ go 
ahead ! Just break them up, they won’t sting you. 
I ’ll risk it, I ’ll risk it.’ Do you know the old man 
laughed as hard when he was telling about it, as 
if it was happening then ? I ’most always find that 
people are perfectly willing to run the risk of other 
people getting hurt.” 

John laughed quietly and said : “ I ’ll open the 
door alone, Joe, if you want me to.” 

“No, I don’t,” replied Joseph, “though I confess 
to feeling a little scary ; but go ahead — I ’m going 
with you ; ” and the boys cautiously began to 
approach the hut, attentive to every sound, and 


262 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


looking on every side for any possible approach. 
John held the key, and in a few moments the eager 
boys were at the door, but a surprise met them 
there, and they looked into each other’s faces per- 
plexed and somewhat alarmed. 

“ This lock is n’t fastened at all ” whispered John. 
“ I rather think the door is locked from the inside.” 

“ What are you going to do ? ” said Joseph ; but 
before a reply could be made the door of the hut 
was opened suddenly and a number of men rushed 
forth. They caught a glimpse of the man who was 
in advance, and an exclamation of dismay fell from 
their lips. 

“ It ’s the schoolmaster ! It ’s Schoolmaster Chase,” 
said Joseph quickly. “ Come on, John, let’s get out 
of this.” 

The sight of men behind the schoolmaster and 
the angry expression on their faces and the loud 
words which they used served to thoroughly frighten 
the boys, and they turned and ran. 

It seemed to them as if multitudes were pursuing 
them, and the angry face of the schoolmaster, for 
whom the boys felt much of their former feeling of 
fear that came largely from their regard for his office, 
increased their alarm. 

But they had separated when they first turned to 
run, so startled were they, and when John arrived at 
the bank and jumped into his little skiff and pushed 
out into the water, he found that he was alone. 


THE MYSTERY DEEPENS. 


2 63 


The fog was as heavy as ever, and hid almost 
everything from his sight. Without stopping to 
think, he seized the oars and began to row with all 
his might down the stream. His actions had been 
somewhat hurried by the warning voice of Jimmie, 
who in a low tone had said : “ Hurry out of this, 
John ; don’t wait a minute. I don’t know what 
they ’d do to you, if they should catch you.” 

But John had gone only a little way down the stream 
when the thought of his missing companion brought 
him to a full stop. Resting upon his oars, he held 
his boat where it was and blamed himself for the 
eager haste which had made him go off without his 
friend, and yet the great haste which both of them 
had used had increased the confusion in which he 
had acted. 

He quickly decided that he would remain where 
he was for a few minutes, and then return cautiously 
and see if he could find out what had become of his 
companion. Accordingly, as he heard no sounds 
that indicated pursuit, he took in his oars and pushed 
the boat along close by the shore, his hands resting 
on the bank, and when he had gone as he thought 
far enough to be able to pick up Joseph if he were 
near by, he gave a peculiar whistle which the mem- 
bers of the Triumvirate had agreed upon ; but no 
reply was given and no sound was heard. Evidently 
he was not being pursued, and perhaps the school- 
master and his men had wanted only to frighten them. 


264 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“ They succeeded pretty well if that was what 
they wanted,” said John to himself, and as the still- 
ness continued he decided that Joseph must either 
have fallen into their hands or escaped by the path 
which led to the mainland ; and so he concluded 
that he would at once row for home, and then if he 
did not find his friend there, he would make up 
a party for his rescue and return at once. 

He rowed down the inlet as quietly as he could, 
but as the tide was rapidly coming in, he found his 
progress slow and his work difficult. The fog also 
served to increase his fear, and expecting every 
moment that some party would fall upon him, he 
was more anxious than he could tell, as he rowed on. 
As he entered the bay his heart almost stood still, 
as he thought he caught the sound of oars. He 
ran his skiff up close to the shore again and waited 
in silence, but the sound was not repeated and once 
more he resumed his rowing. 

He soon found the mouth of the creek, and put- 
ting forth all his strength, began to row for home. 

Every moment his fear became less as the dis- 
tance between himself and possible pursuers in- 
creased, and yet it was with a feeling of great relief 
that at last he saw the old stone bridge. 

As he came near he heard some one shouting to 
him, “Then you Ve come at last, have you ? I Ve 
been waiting almost an age for you. I did n’t know 
but you ’d fallen into the hands of those fellows.” 


THE MYSTERY DEEPENS. 265 

John looked up and saw his friend Joseph peer- 
ing down at him as he rowed up to the bridge. He 
was greatly relieved to know that he was home in 
safety, but he was not demonstrative in his manner, 
and he quietly said : “ How did you get here, Joe ? ” 

“Why, I didn’t wait for you,” replied Joseph, as 
he came down and assisted his friend in making his 
boat fast. “ There was n’t a great deal of time you 
see, and when I started off I did n’t know just 
where I was going ; but I was lucky enough to 
strike the path, and I thought I ’d be satisfied with 
that, and if it only led to some place of safety, I 
did n’t care much what it was. I felt a little mean 
in leaving you, for I did n’t know but you were in 
the hands of those men, and yet I knew if anybody 
could get away from them you could, and I rather 
thought you ’d started for the boat. I think I made 
about as good time as ever I did, and so I ’ve been 
here, it seems to me, something less than a week, 
waiting for you.” 

“ Well, I ’ve come, you see,” said John. 

“Yes, I’m aware of that,” said Joseph, “ but 
what do you suppose is the matter down there ? ” 

“ What do you mean, with us or with those men ? ” 

“ Both,” replied Joseph, “ but I was thinking 
about the men. What do you suppose they were 
doing there ? ” 

“ Scaring all intruders off,” replied John ; “ but it 
proves one thing at any rate.” 


266 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“ What ’s that ? ” inquired Joseph. 

“ Why, it shows that the sight of the school- 
master we had the other day was n’t for nothing. 
I thought there was something wrong then, and now 
I know it.” 

“Well, what are you going to do now?” inquired 
Joseph. 

“I’m going home, that’s the first thing I have in 
mind. Come on with me.” Upon Joseph’s con- 
sent, both started for John's home. 

They were fortunate enough to find Mr. Shotwell 
there, and to him they told all their story. He did 
not make many comments, and yet he was deeply 
interested in the story which the boys had to tell. 

“Well, what do you propose to do now, John?” 
said his father. “ Have you any plans in mind?” 

“Yes, that’s what I have been thinking of all the 
way up from the creek,” said John. 

“ Well, we ’ll listen to your proposal,” said his 
father, and so John outlined the plan which he had 
been thinking of on his way home. 

“ I think,” said John, “that there’s something in 
that hut on the meadows that ought not to be there. 
I think it would be a good thing if we organized two 
parties to-morrow, and have one of them come up 
the creek, and the other go down by the path at the 
same time. One of the parties could come up and 
stand guard, and I think they ought to be armed so 
as to be ready if any danger threatened ; the other 


THE MYSTERY DEEPENS. 


2 67 


party ought to rush up to the door, and it they can 
unlock it with the key which I Ve got yet, that will 
settle it ; but if they can’t they ought to smash 
it in.” 

“ That is n’t a bad suggestion,” said his father at 
last. “ Have you thought about who would be 
good men to go with you ? ” 

“ I have thought of some who would,” replied 
John, and he began at once to talk over the names 
of those who would be suitable for such an expe- 
dition as he had in mind. 

A list agreeable to his father was at length made 
out, and the boys spent that evening in seeing each 
one. They had not much trouble in getting a dozen 
boys of their own age and four men to promise to 
go, Mr. Shotwell insisting upon some men going, as 
the presence of wiser and cooler heads might save 
the boys from some danger. 

At last the two parties were completed, and they 
had agreed to meet at the stone bridge at half-past 
four o’clock on the following morning. Meanwhile 
they were not to mention to any one the object of 
the proposed expedition, and each had promised to 
be on hand without fail at the appointed time. 

It was' arranged that Joseph should spend the 
night with his friend. The boys were so highly 
excited that there was not very much sleep for them 
that night, and they were so afraid that they would 
not be on time at the appointed place, that one 


268 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


of them arose about every half-hour during the 
night to see if the time had come. 

But at the hour which had been agreed upon, 
every one who had promised to go was at the stone 
bridge. Then a few minutes were taken for a con- 
sultation, and it was decided that John and Joseph 
should lead the party that was to approach by land. 
They were not to come too near the hut, and yet 
they were to stand as guards and some of them 
were to be armed. They also were to await the 
coming of the other party which was to hail the hut 
when they arrived, and then if no response was 
made to their summons, they were to rush in and 
break down the door if necessary. For this pur- 
pose they carried some heavy sledges, and some of 
them were armed as well. Considerable excitement 
was manifested by them all, but at last all things 
were ready and both parties started. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


THE PROBLEM BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT. 

n^HE party which was led by John and Joseph 
was the first to arrive at the hut. They had 
approached in single file by the narrow little path 
which Joseph had taken when he had escaped on the 
previous day. As they came near, not a sound was 
heard save that of their own footsteps, and not a 
human being appeared in sight. While some of 
them were armed it was agreed that the guns should 
not be used by any one, except in case of an attack 
by the men who were supposed to be within the 
building. 

The very stillness was oppressive. They could 
see the gulls in their low swift flight above the 
waters of the bay, and the mosquitoes gathered in 
clouds as the men took the positions which they 
were to hold until the other party approached. 

Joseph whispered to John : “ Do you see how 
different the shanty is to-day from what it was 
yesterday ? ” 

“Yes,” replied John, “but I can’t just make out 
what the difference is.” 

“ Why, the rushes are all gone,” said Joseph. 
“They’ve taken them off from the roof and away 

269 


2 JO THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

from the sides. I wonder what it means ; ” but their 
attention was soon called to the sound of approach- 
ing boats, and they eagerly watched to see whether 
the sound was made by friends or foes. 

But their hearts were soon at rest as they saw that 
it was the other party coming near. The men all 
landed rapidly and quietly, and as soon as they saw 
that their oars were placed where they could be used 
quickly, if occasion required, they stepped ashore 
and in silence began to walk towards them. 

The boys were both highly excited now, and 
Joseph could not keep from whispering to John, 
“ This beats the expedition to Boston all to pieces. 
I hope they ’ll catch some of the men in there ; ” but 
a warning look from John made him silent at once, 
and they both watched the men who were now 
almost up to the hut. 

One of the party stepped in front of the others 
and called out : “ Come out of that shanty. We 
want to see you ; ” but no answer was given, nor had 
any sign as yet appeared that any one was inside. 

A second hail produced no other effect, and then 
the leader shouted : “ Come out of that shanty. 
We have a dozen men out here and we’re armed;” 
but only a silence greeted this call, as it had done 
the others. 

“ If any man steps out of that shanty armed,” 
called out the leader once more, “ he may be shot. 
We call upon you to lay down your arms and come 


THE PROBLEM BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT. 2J1 

out here.” Still no answer was given nor had any 
sign yet appeared that any one had heard this 
strange summons to come forth. 

A brief and whispered consultation was held by 
the besiegers, and then the leader, taking a heavy 
sledge, stepped to the door. A startled expression 
made by him quickly called the attention of every 
one behind him to his further actions. 

“ Why, the door is n’t locked at all,” he said. “ I 
can step right inside; ’’and pushing slightly against the 
door he threw it open, and all the party approached. 

It was evident that there was no one inside; 
indeed, it did not appear as if any one had been 
there very recently. A few dead fish were upon the 
floor, and the smell which greeted them when they 
stood in the doorway was one that might have come 
from a house which had been shut up for a long 
time. A few old and ill-smelling garments hung 
upon the walls, and a fisherman’s hat or two lay 
upon the table which stood at one side of the room. 
There were also a few nets hanging upon the walls, 
and the whole appearance was that of a shanty 
which had been used by the fishermen, and not very 
recently at that. 

The boys were astonished at the sight, and a good 
deal chagrined as some of the men who were with 
them, disappointed at the turn which affairs had 
taken, and at the sharp reaction from their high 
excitement, began to make light of the whole matter. 


272 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“ Well, that’s a great story you got up,” said one 
of them in an angry tone. “ Two young fellows 
like you getting us off from our work, and down 
here on an errand like this, ought to be treated to a 
dose of tar and feathers.” 

“ I ’ve no patience at all,” said another one. 
“ The youngsters were frightened at their own 
shadows.” 

“There was somebody here yesterday, anyway,” 
said Joseph, stung at the ridicule and trying to make 
a feeble resistance as he saw that John still re- 
mained silent. 

“ Well, we won’t waste any more time here. 
Let ’s get along home,” one of the men said, and 
immediately the entire party started to return as 
they had come. 

John and Joseph walked along together, and in 
low tones conversed about the exciting events of 
the morning and at the ridiculous turn which affairs 
had taken. 

“ Do you suppose that we could have been fooled 
yesterday?” said Joseph. 

“ Fooled ? ” said John angrily. “ No ! If you 
want to be such a fool as to think you were fooled, 
then you can. I, for my part, know there is some- 
thing wrong about that shanty, and I ’m perfectly 
satisfied that the schoolmaster and his friends have 
done this thing just to throw us off the track.” 

“Well, no one believes it,” said Joseph, “ and we 


1 


THE PROBLEM BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT . 273 

shall soon be the laughing-stock of the whole of 
Elizabeth Town.” 

“ I can’t help it,” said John. “ ‘ He laughs best 
who laughs last.’ I tell you there ’s something 
wrong here, and I ’m more convinced of it now than 
ever.” 

The boys had dropped behind the others during 
their conversation, and when they came to the 
bridge they found that all who had taken part in the 
expedition were there waiting for them. 

A derisive laugh greeted them as they approached, 
and Joseph was inclined to run past them ; but John 
in a low voice said to him: “ Hold on, Joe; let’s 
face it out. We have got to meet it, and the sooner 
we do it the better.” 

“ Say, Joe,” called out one of the men, “ do you 
know what kind of a shop that was down there ? ” 

“ That ’s what I have been trying to find out,” 
said Joseph in reply. 

“ Well, I know what it is now,” said the man ; 
“ It ’s a shop where they manufacture wild geese.” 
A shout of laughter greeted this sally, and the boys 
had nothing to say. 

“ I ’ll tell you what it is,” said another of the men ; 
“ we ought to use some of the feathers from that 
factory ; I think some one else would furnish us 
some tar, would n’t they ? ” 

“ Oh, hold on ! ” said another. “ Don’t you see 
the boys are all cut up about it ? They ’re not to 


274 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


blame ; they thought there was something wrong 
there, anyway.” 

“ I don’t blame you,” said John, “ for feeling a 
good deal cut up about this expedition this morn- 
ing, but you don’t feel half so much so as we 
do ; and yet I feel perfectly certain that there ’s 
something wrong there. We could n’t have been 
fooled entirely, and I don’t think we were fooled, 
either ; but I ’m sorry you ’ve had all the trouble you 
did, and sorry we were the cause of it ; but I ’m 
going to keep right on searching, and I know we 
shall find something before we are done.” 

“That’s all right, boys,” said one of the men 
good-naturedly. “We know you didn’t mean to 
take us on a wild-goose chase, and boys and men are 
liable to make mistakes. I ’ve even been known to 
make little ones myself.” 

In better humor the crowd soon dispersed, and 
the boys disappeared, each to go to his own home. 
When John entered his father’s house and began 
to relate to him the story of the disastrous expe- 
dition of the morning, there was strong suspicion 
of tears on his face, and his voice several times was 
almost broken, but he was wonderfully comforted 
when he had finished his story, to have his father say : 
“I’m thoroughly satisfied, John, that there was and 
is something wrong there. This is only a trick which 
has been put up, and it is a very thin one at that. 
The very fact that they ’ve taken off the rushes from 


THE PROBLEM BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT. 275 

the roof and have thrown a lot of ill-smelling fish 
inside the house, and left their nets and fishing gear 
around so loose, and all without the door being 
locked — why, everything shows that it was done 
with a design. You frightened them, and they sim- 
ply have tried to throw you off the track, that ’s all ; 
but they ’ll be at it again very soon I ’m sure, and 
I ’m just as sure, also, that you ’ll catch them, too, 
John.” 

John, a good deal cheered at his father’s confi- 
dence in him, and at his faith in his story, eagerly 
said : “ Do you suppose they ’ll use that same 
shanty again ? ” 

“ I don’t know about that,” said Mr. Shotwell ; 
“ but I do know that they won’t give up this trading 
for a very long time ; there ’s too much money in it, 
and I ’m afraid that some men, whom we don’t 
suspect just now, are engaged in it. These times 
are full of temptation for men who are not very 
strong in their principles. It does n’t cost much to 
do right when it ’s the popular thing. Somehow if 
a man ever does right, it means hard work for him ; 
but if you let a boat drift, it always goes down 
stream. However, I ’m not going to preach you a 
sermon. I ’ll leave that for the dominie ; but you 
wait, and keep up your courage, and you ’ll catch 
them yet.” 

“ I hope so,” said John ; “ and I ’m more deter- 
mined now that I ’ll try than ever before. What 


276 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


you Ve said has encouraged me more than anything 
that ’s happened in a good while.” 

“You must keep up your courage, John,” said 
his father. “ These times are trying to a good 
many men. I understand that the British have 
offered a reward of five thousand pounds for the 
head of General Putnam. They could afford to 
give a good deal more than that for it. I Ve met 
General Putnam a good many times.” 

“ Where ? ” asked John, his mind called for a 
moment away from his own troubles to the story 
which his father was telling him, evidently with the 
design of leading his son’s thoughts from the mor- 
tifying experience through which he had just been 
passing. 

“ Why, he used to keep a tavern in Brooklyn, 
Connecticut. I very well remember the sign which 
he had hung out in front of it. It was made of 
yellow pine and painted alike on both sides.” 

“ What was painted on it ? ” said John. 

“ Why, it was a full length portrait of Wolfe. 
You know, I’ve always had a great admiration for 
his character.” 

“ Yes, I know,” said John ; “ but what ’s going 
to be the end of all this rebellion ? ” 

“ No one knows,” replied his father, “ but my 
opinion is different from that of a good many others 
about here, for I think it will end in the Colonies 
separating from England. A good many of those 


THE PROBLEM BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT. 277 

who are half-willing to take part in this rebellion 
would drop it in a minute if they thought it meant 
separation from the old country. You see the richer 
people are more inclined to be Tories and stand by 
the king. There are lots of people in New York 
who are rabid Tories, and if things don’t move just 
right they ’ll soon show it.” 

“Are most of the educated men Tories?” asked 
John. 

“ A good many of them are. Most of the inde- 
pendent ministers, — that is those who are not of the 
Church of England — are in favor of the Revolution. 
Quite a good many of the lawyers are Whigs, but 
most of the doctors are Tories.” 

“ How about the newspapers ? ” asked John. 

“ Most of them are Tory,” replied his father. 
“ You see many of the people who own property 
are afraid to have it disturbed, and so a good many 
are Tories, not because they believe England is 
right, but because they are afraid it will bring dan- 
ger to their property if any change is made or 
threatened.” 

“ I suppose all of the English people over here 
are Tories, are n’t they ? ” said John. 

“Why, a good many of those who have come 
over lately are, but the Irish and the Scotch-Irish 
are for the Colonies. They say that the Revolution- 
ary party is made of one-fourth native born, one- 
half Irish, and one-quarter English or Scotch.” 


278 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


“Well,” said John, “our people came from Eng- 
land, but I ’m not very much in favor of her on ac- 
count of her manner of dealing with the Colonies.” 

“ Neither am I,” said his father, “ and if I could 
have my way I should favor separation at once from 
the old country. Everything points to this country 
becoming an independent nation, and why so many 
of the better class of people, at least those that are 
considered the better class, are either openly or 
secretly opposed to all idea of a revolution I cannot 
tell. Still I ’m glad that some of them are such 
true friends. This Colonel Washington, who has 
been put in command of the Continental forces, is a 
natural-born aristocrat, but there is n’t a better friend 
to the cause in all the land than he is.” 

“ Where did he come from ? ” said John. 

“ Virginia,” replied his father. “ He was born at 
Wakefield on the Potomac, and he has lived in the 
Old Dominion most of his life, though he is not an 
old man now, only just in the prime of life in 
fact. But we ’ve talked long enough about these 
things, and I hope you see that I believe that you 
are in the right of this matter down on the mead- 
ows, and that it won’t be very long before you will 
be prepared to show it.” 

“That’s what I said to Joe,” said John eagerly, 
“ that ‘ he laughs best who laughs last.’ ” 

“You ’ll get the laugh on them yet,” said his 
father as he turned to leave him ; “ but never mind, 


THE PROBLEM BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT. 

to-morrow I ve something to propose to you that 
I ’m sure will interest you very much.” 

John looked at his father with a question upon 
his face, but he said nothing, as he knew it would be 
useless for him to press the matter further. 

He busied himself during the day in the work 
which his father gave him about the place, half- 
suspecting that his father had taken this way to give 
him an excuse for remaining at home, and thus 
enable him to avoid meeting any of those who had 
been with him on the morning’s expedition, and 
who might, by their reference to its failure, hurt his 
feelings about a matter concerning which he felt 
very sensitive. 

That night, when he went to his room, he found 
sleep was very slow in coming to him, and the last 
thought in his mind of which he was conscious was 
about the information which his father was to give 
him in the morning. He was satisfied from the 
way in which he had spoken that it was some- 
thing unusual, and he knew, when he did hear 
what he had to say, that it would deeply interest 
him. 


CHAPTER XXX. 


A REAR GUARD, 


HE next morning, after breakfast had been 



A disposed of, and the family prayers had been 
conducted, a service which usually consumed a long 
time, as Mr. Shotwell always insisted upon reading 
a chapter from the Old Testament, a psalm, and a 
chapter from the New Testament each time, John 
thought that his father would explain to him the 
matter to which he had referred on the night before. 
But he said nothing after prayers, and John became 
more and more impatient, and yet he soon satisfied 
himself that his impatience was worse than useless, 
as it would only serve to irritate his father, and 
would not bring him the information which he 
desired one whit the sooner. There was nothing 
for him to do but to wait. 

Joseph came soon after breakfast, and he was as 
willing as John to remain at his home, not caring to 
face the ridicule which they feared might be visited 
upon them in the town because of the disastrous 
expedition to the meadows. 

Mr. Shotwell had gone from home early in the 
morning, without leaving any word as to where he 
was going, or what he was to do ; but John, who 


A REAR GUARD. 


281 


thoroughly understood his father, had determined 
that he would not leave home himself, as he knew 
he might return at any time, and that, if he did, he 
would expect to find his son there if he wanted him 
for anything. 

The boys talked over their experiences of the 
previous day, and were more and more convinced 
that the apparent condition of the hut on the 
meadows was due to the attempt of the men they 
were suspecting to throw off all comers from the 
right track. They thought and talked of more 
schemes and plans by which they might defeat the 
schoolmaster in some of the dealings which they 
were certain he was carrying on with some of the 
people at Elizabeth Town .or along the Jersey 
shore. 

About the middle of the afternoon Mr. Shotwell 
returned, and when he found Joseph there he called 
both of the boys into his room. Even when they had 
taken their seats he remained silent for a little time, 
and there was nothing for the boys to do except to 
wait his pleasure. Children and young people, too, 
were to be seen and not heard then, for even those 
who had ceased to be children were not regarded by 
their fathers as persons who ought to be treated with 
a full measure of confidence. Sons were to honor 
their fathers, and how could they look up to them 
unless their fathers held themselves somewhat above 
them ? 


282 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


At length Mr. Shotwell turned to the boys and 
said: “I suppose you’ve forgotten all about that 
trip you took to New England with Elias Terrill 
when he was carrying the powder to Cambridge.” 

“No,” said John, “we haven’t forgotten it, and 
we have n’t forgotten the horses we lost in Connecti- 
cut either. You have n’t heard anything about them, 
have you ? ” 

“ No,” replied his father, “ though I ’m half- 
inclined to think that if ever they should let old 
Dan, the one you rode, get loose that he would 
start straight for Elizabeth Town, and would find his 
way here too.” 

“I wish they would,” said John. “ I miss him.” 

“I ’ve no fault to find with you,” said his father, 
“ about the loss of those horses. That was one of 
the fruits of war, and something that could n’t be 
helped. You ’ll do better another time.” 

“ I want to,” replied John. 

“But it’s about something almost of the same 
kind that I ’m going to talk with you this morning,” 
said his father, as he smiled at the eagerness that at 
once became manifest upon the faces of the boys. 

“The great lack at Cambridge still continues to 
be powder. Elias Terrill has told me since he came 
home of how Washington was in dire stress. If he 
should be attacked, that lack would be the greatest 
drawback ; and if he wanted to make an attack, this 
same lack of powder would be his greatest obstacle.” 


A REAR GUARD. 283 

“ But he got the other powder all right, did n’t 
he?” said John. 

“ Yes,” said Mr. Shotwell, “but there was so little 
of that as to make it of very small account. The 
truth of the matter is, boys, that we Ve been gather- 
ing a store of powder here at Elizabeth Town. 
We Ve been working at it very quietly, for we did n’t 
want any one to know much about it.” 

He began to pace back and forth in the room 
with his hands behind him, and remained silent for 
some time. The boys glanced at each other, 
expressing with their eyes the pleasure which they 
thought was again coming to them of taking part in 
some expedition, although just what it was to be 
they could not yet tell ; but when his father began 
once more to speak, it was to offer them more than 
they had dared to hope. 

“ I don’t know why I should hesitate, boys, to tell 
you just exactly what we have in mind. It is n’t 
that I ’m afraid of you, and yet it is so easy for 
matters that ought to be kept strictly secret to leak 
out.” 

“ We ’ll never tell anybody,” said John impul- 
sively. 

“ I know you would not intend to,” said Mr. 
Shotwell, “ and yet I have known of boys letting out 
some things, even when they did n’t intend to.” 

“ That’s so,” said Joseph, “ and I ’m the one.” 

“ But I don’t think you will now,” said Mr. Shot- 


284 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


well, “ and so I ’ll tell you just what we have in 
mind. We Ve gathered here a store of six tons and 
a half of powder. It ’s more than likely that we 
might be called upon to use it ourselves, and if any 
one knew that we thought of sending away the most 
of the powder that we have on hand it might make 
quite a feeling here, besides throwing the town open 
to possible depredations by the enemy.” 

“ What are you going to do with it ? ” said John 
quietly. 

“ We ’re going to use it where there ’s the great- 
est need of it, and just now that is at the head- 
quarters of the Continental Army at Cambridge. If 
the British should fall upon our soldiers there, and 
be able to defeat them, it would put an end to any 
prospect, for the present at least, of successful 
resistance to the demands which Great Britain is 
making of us, to say nothing of ever making this an 
independent country, which a few of us are hoping 
will come to pass.” 

“ How are you going to send the powder ? ” said 
John. 

“ We ’re going to get it out of the town just as 
quietly as we can to-morrow morning before sunrise. 
We ’ve got ten teams, all made up from some of the 
best horses in the neighborhood. We ’re going to 
cover the powder wagons with hay, just as we did 
before, and then we ’re going to have every pair of 
teams keep close together.” 


A REAR GUARD. 


285 


“ What do you mean by that ? ” said John. 

“ Why, simply,” replied his father, “ that we shall 
not have the whole ten wagons keep close together. 
We ’ll only have two do that, and by cutting the ten 
teams into five parties, and when once they ’ve 
crossed the Hudson by having them leave an hour 
or two between them as they go on, we hope to 
divert suspicion, and to have them pass as simply 
wagonloads of hay. You see at this time of the 
year there is always a great deal of hay being carted, 
and we can’t think of any safer or better way.” 

“Why don’t you send them by water?” asked 
Joseph. 

“ The harbor is closed at Boston, and there is 
almost too much danger from the British boats, any- 
way. We don’t care to run any risks that we can 
avoid, and while of course there is more or less danger 
the best way we can fix it, still we hope to send the 
powder over land, especially since two such sharp 
youngsters as you are to form the rear guard on 
horseback, we think we can get it safely through.” 

“ Well, I hope so,” said John, “ as there ’s no 
place in the world I want to see so much as I do the 
headquarters of the army, and I should be glad to 
go in the way you have just suggested.” 

“ I think you ’ll be very apt to see that, and Gen- 
eral Washington, too, before you come home again,” 
said his father as he rose. “You’ll be ready to 
start before sunrise to-morrow morning, and all the 


286 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


teams will keep pretty well together till they get to 
Dobb’s Ferry.” 

“ Shall we go just the same way that we did 
before?” asked John. 

“ Yes,” replied his father. 

“Then perhaps we’ll find a chance to pick up 
some of our old acquaintances again,” said Joseph. 
“ I should n’t mind meeting those fellows at that 
tavern, who were so willing to bid us good-by that 
morning when they started us off without our 
horses.” 

“ I rather think I should like to see them again, 
too,” said John ; “ that is, if we have our friends 
along.” 

In accordance with the plan which had been 
devised, the expedition started early on a morning 
in August, 1775. The boys were in high spirits 
and hoped before they returned from Cambridge 
to redeem the misfortune which had fallen upon 
them so recently, through their unfortunate expedi- 
tion to the hut on the meadows. 

The day was sultry and the progress they made 
was comparatively slow. As they stopped to rest 
beneath a tree by the roadside, Joseph said : “ John, 
what did you say the name of that horse is that 
you ’re riding ? ” 

“ Mike,” replied John. 

“Then he is probably of Hibernian extraction,” 
said Joseph. 


A REAR GUARD. 


287 


“ No, of Japanese, I guess,” replied John. 

‘‘Japanese?” said Joseph. “What do you 
mean ? ” 

“ Don’t you remember that sailor who used to 
come to Elizabeth Town so often, who said he ’d 
been around the world ? ” 

“ What, the one that used to put up at the Red 
Lion ? ” said Joseph. 

“ Yes,” said John ; “ the one that said he’d been 
around the world. Don’t you remember what he 
said about the Japanese Islands?” 

“ Yes ; I remember some of the stories he told 
about them,” replied Joseph. 

“ Well, don’t you remember what he said the ruler 
of Japan was called ? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Joseph ; “ Mikado.” 

“ That ’s right,” replied John, “ and that ’s the 
name we gave this colt up at the farm. They called 
him Mikado for a while, then they got to shortening 
it to Mick, and now they call him Mike.” 

“Well, he looks as if he could fight, and he 
certainly ought to with such a name as that,” said 
Joseph with a laugh. 

No events of interest occurred during the first 
three days of their journey. They crossed the 
Hudson at Dobb’s Ferry, this time without chang- 
ing horses or wagons, and then dividing into com- 
panies of two each, the expedition landed and 
pushed on for Cambridge. 


288 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


At night the boys begged the privilege of sleep- 
ing on the hay, and permission was readily granted, 
although to avoid suspicion when they put up for 
the night at the country tavern, they had first gone 
to bed in the room which was assigned them, and 
when everything had become quiet they had crept 
down the stairs, and taken their places on top of 
the loads. 

But nothing had occurred as yet of any special 
interest, and no suspicion had been aroused, they 
thought, as to the nature of the loads they were 
carrying. Certainly it would have taken a very 
shrewd observer to have suspected that the loads 
were anything else than that which they pretended 
to be, so skilfully had they been made. 

On the afternoon of the third day, when the boys 
had dropped a little behind the two loads for which 
they were acting as rear guards, as they were riding 
along through the country, they passed a farmhouse, 
and not far beyond it was a pasture in which they 
noticed several horses grazing. As they drew near, 
Joseph suddenly called the attention of his com- 
panion and said : “ Do you see that horse over there 
in the lot ? That ’s old Dan, as I ’m alive.” 

John looked quickly in the direction in which his 
friend pointed, and said : “ It is. I believe you ’re 
right* Joe. I know you’re right,” he added a min- 
ute later, “ and I ’ll prove it.” 

“ What are you going to do ? ” said Joseph. 


A REAR GUARD. 


289 


“ You just watch and see,” said John excitedly. 
“ I ’m going to stop here right at these bars and call 
him.” 

“ Are n’t you afraid to ? ” said Joseph. 

“ Afraid ? No,” said John half-angrily. 

“ Yes, but some people may not think just as you 
do, especially if they happen to think they are the 
lawful owners of old Dan,” said Joseph. 

“ I don’t care whether they do or not,” replied 
John. “That’s my horse and I’m going to have 
him ; ” and leaping off from the horse which he was 
riding, and holding him by the bridle, he gave a 
peculiar whistle. 

Old Dan evidently recognized it, for he at once 
raised his head and gave a whinny and began to 
look about him in every direction. When John 
repeated the whistle, he gave another whinny and 
started on the run for the bars where John was 
standing. 

As he came near, John patted him upon the head, 
and letting down the bars he led him outside and 
taking part of the bridle threw it around his neck 
and remounting his horse started on once more, 
leading Dan as a very willing captive. 

“ You did that just in time, John,” said Joseph, 
“for there comes the man who thinks he’s the 
owner, across the lot ; ” and he pointed to a man 
who was running at the top of his speed toward 
them, and shouting and gesticulating as he came. 


290 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


The boys made no reply, except to stop for a 
moment while John changed his saddle from one 
horse to the other, preferring that Mike should be 
led. 

The man evidently thought that they were stop- 
ping for him, and when John mounted old Dan, and 
the boys put all three of the horses into a gallop, he 
shouted and called, in tones that might have been 
heard a long distance, for them to stop ; but the 
boys gave no heed to him, and hardly so much as 
looked behind them. They pushed rapidly on, and 
soon disappeared behind some woods that were on 
their right. 

“ I wonder if that man will come after us?” said 
John. 

“ I rather think he will,” said Joseph. 

“ Let him come if he wants to, then,” replied 
John. “ Here are our friends ahead of us now, and 
there are more not very far away, and we ’ll try and 
make things pleasant for him if he wants to come 
and talk to us.” 

“ Still I think we shall hear from him again,” said 
Joseph. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 


AN INQUISITIVE STRANGER. 

HTHE boys rejoicing, because they had found the 
horse which they long ago had given up as 
lost forever, quickly caught up with the party ahead 
of them, and even then were in some fear lest they 
should be pursued. Joseph made the suggestion 
that they should at once ride forward and consult 
Mr. Terrill as to what was best for them to do in 
case the angry man, who perhaps had regarded old 
Dan as his own, should follow them and strive to 
reclaim his property. 

John at once fell in with Joseph’s suggestion, and 
as quickly as possible they rode ahead and caught 
up with Mr. Terrill and his companion, who formed 
the advance guard of the party. He was surprised 
and pleased alike at the good fortune which John 
had had, and at once recognized old Dan as the 
horse which he himself had used many times before. 

When the boys told him of the fear they had that 
they might be pursued, and that trouble might 
come, he suggested to them that he should exchange 
horses with John, and using Mike himself, should 
tie the horse on which he was then riding to the 
rear of the load, and that the boys, on different 


292 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


horses, should then resume their places as a rear 
guard. If their fears should prove well founded, 
and any trouble arise from the man out of whose 
lot they had taken the horse, and he should catch up 
with them, then they were at once to let him know, 
and he would go back to their aid. 

The boys had barely resumed their place in the 
rear of the party when the sound of galloping hoofs 
was heard behind them. 

“ That means business,” said Joseph. “ That old 
fellow is coming after us. He did n’t act any of the 
time as if he was going to give up Dan without 
a struggle.” 

“ Let him come,” said John. “ He won’t find him 
here, and if he tries to take him from the man 
who ’s riding him, he ’ll have a good-sized contract 
on his hands. Mr. Terrill is n’t the man to give up 
very easily, and he ’ll find more music than the fifers 
ever could make.” 

But the sound of their pursuer became more 
and more distinct now, and in a few moments they 
saw the would-be owner of Dan appearing around 
a bend in the road with his horse on the run. He 
was alone, however, and the boys laughed a little 
as they thought of the reception he was likely to 
meet. In a few moments he had caught up with 
them, and, bringing his horse to a walk, angrily 
demanded of the boys where the horse was which 
they had stolen out of his pasture. 


AN INQUISITIVE STRANGER. 


293 


The boys denied having stolen any horse, and 
told him that if he was looking for the horse which 
he himself must have stolen, they thought he would 
find him a little farther ahead, as they themselves 
had seen him there only a few moments before. 

The man left them with an angry word, and rode 
on until he had caught up with Mr. Terrill, and when 
he saw what horse it was he was riding, he demanded 
at once. that he should give him up. An angry 
dispute was held for some time, the stranger declar- 
ing that horse thieves frequently were hanged in 
that country, and that if he could have his way, every 
man that stole a horse would be strung up by the 
roadside in short order. 

Mr. Terrill tried to explain to him how it was that 
Dan had been lost, and he gradually learned that the 
stranger had come into possession of the horse by 
buying him of a man, with whom he had had no 
acquaintance, for a mere song. 

“That doesn’t make any difference,” said Mr. 
Terrill ; “ the horse was stolen from the boys and 
you can’t have it; and if you want to make any 
trouble about it, perhaps you ’d better try it. We ’re 
on government business, I ’d have you understand, 
and to delay us may make a little serious trouble 
for you.” 

The matter was finally compromised by Mr. Ter- 
rill paying him the small sum which he claimed he 
had given for the horse, and the man rode away not 


294 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

at all contented, but trying to make the best of it 
all. He scowled at the boys as he passed them, 
and paid no attention to the derisive shouts of 
Joseph, who called after him that they would be 
back pretty soon for the other horse, which he had 
stolen, but which he must have hidden somewhere 
for the present. 

The journey was resumed without any further 
adventures, and a few hours later the boys heard 
behind them the sound of another horse, which 
evidently was coming toward them. 

“There comes your man again,” said Joseph. 

“ I don’t believe it,” said John. “ He ’s had 
enough for one day, and he won’t be apt to trouble 
us again very soon ; ” and they soon perceived that it 
was a stranger who was approaching, and as he drew 
rein and brought his horse to a walk by their side, 
they saw that he was an elderly man whose expres- 
sion was decidedly peaceful. 

He entered at once into a conversation with the 
boys and tried to draw from them something that 
would explain what the object of their journey was, 
and where they were going; but they had learned 
by experience not to be confidential with strangers, 
and even Joseph was now gaining the mastery of his 
tongue. 

“ You ’ve noticed, boys,” said the old man, “ that 
I was riding in somewhat of a hurry. Well, I was 
hurrying somewhat,” he went on, as the boys 


AN INQUISITIVE STRANGER. 


2 95 


nodded in reply, “ for I had a strknge experience 
back here a little ways. I saw twenty women start 
out from a tavern and march along in regular ranks 
with three men as a flank guard. I was a good deal 
puzzled at the sight and wanted to know what was 
going on. They paid no attention, however, to me, 
so I followed them for a mile or so, and saw them 
march straight to Mr. Pitkin’s store back here, 
where there was a lot of sugar which was designed 
for the army. They marched straight for the store, 
and without saying by your leave, they took over 
two hundred pounds of that sugar and started off. 
When they saw me they took me, I guess, for one 
of the owners of it, and they started for me, but I 
was pretty well mounted, as you see, so I made good 
my escape.” 

He laughed as he told them the story, and the 
boys laughed with him. 

“That’s the first time I ever heard of the women 
going to war,” said Joseph. “They don’t do it 
around New York.” 

“Then you’re from New York, are you?” said 
the old man. 

Joseph saw that he had made another mistake, but 
he collected his thoughts in time to say what was the 
truth. “ No, we don’t live in New York, but I ’ve 
been there a good many times.” 

“ Well, I knew as soon as I heard you talk that 
you did n’t live very far from there, but I don’t 


296 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


believe you can tell me as much about New York as 
I can tell you.” 

The boys remained silent, wondering what their 
visitor would have to say. 

“ You don’t know what the first name of it was, 
do you ? ” 

“ Yes,” said John ; “ it was Manhattan.” 

“ That ’s right,” said the old man ; “ but who was 
the first recorded visitor there ? ” 

“ Why, the Dutch, I think,” said Joseph. 

“ You ’re wrong,” said the old man with a laugh. 
“ Henry Hudson, who was sent out by the Dutch in 
1609, was ^e first modern discoverer of the bay; 
but the first recorded visitor there was a Florentine 
traveler named Verrazane.” 

“ I never knew that,” said John. 

“ You are n’t informed about your home as you 
ought to be.” 

“ But that is n’t our home,” protested Joseph. 

“ Well, it is n’t very far from there,” said the old 
man. “ Now see if you can tell me when the first 
real settlement was made there.” 

The boys were silent, not wishing to confess their 
ignorance, and yet neither of them was able to 
answer his question. 

“ I shall have to tell you, I see,” said the old man. 
“ It was in 1621. Do you know what they paid for 
the island of Manhattan when they first gained pos- 
session of it ? ” 


AN INQUISITIVE S TEA N GEE. 


29 7 


The boys again acknowledged their ignorance. 

“ Well, they bought it of the Indians,” said the old 
man, “ in 1626, with beads and buttons and some 
other trinkets, worth altogether less than five 
pounds. Do you know what its first name was ? ” 
he continued. 

“ Yes,” said John ; “ Amsterdam.” 

“ Fort Amsterdam,” said their companion, cor- 
recting them. “ Now who was the first governor ? ” 

“ I know that,” said John ; “ his name was Van 
Twiller.” 

“ Who followed him then ? ” 

“ I don’t know,” said John. 

“ It was a little pussy Dutchman named Kilft, and 
the third director-general was Petrus Stuyvesant. I 
could tell you a good many more things about it ; for 
example, how that in 1664, when it became English, 
it had fifteen hundred inhabitants, and the first fire 
company they had was in 1658, and how they called 
it the ‘ Rattle Watch.’ The first night watch they 
had was in 1696 ; it commenced at nine o’clock at 
night, marching through the streets, ringing bells 
and calling out the time of the night, and telling the 
weather. The watchman made the rounds once an 
hour, and kept it up till sunrise.” 

“ I never knew that,” said Joseph. 

“ No, I see you don’t know as much about your 
home as you ought to. I might tell you a good 
many other things if I chose. Seventy-five years 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


298 

ago they hung lanterns on poles in the streets for 
street lights, and the first stage line to Philadelphia 
they had was in 1730. It ran once in two weeks. 
Do you know what the name of the college there 
is ? ” 

“ Yes,” replied John ; “ King’s.” 

“That’s right,” replied the man; “that was 
opened in 1753 with ten students. Do you know 
when the first bound book was made in the 
colony ? ” 

The boys began to look foolish. They never 
realized how little they knew about the region in 
which they lived. 

“ Well,” said the stranger, “ the first bound book 
ever made in the country was in New York in 1694, 
and the first paper published was in 1725. Now 
perhaps you can tell me,” he added with a shrewd 
look at the boys, “ when the first ferry to Jersey was 
started.” 

The boys shook their heads, and the old man 
answered his own question. 

“It was in 1763. Well, I think I’ve talked 
enough to you on that line. Perhaps you ’d like to 
know a little about the condition of things at 
Boston.” 

The boys looked up in quick surprise, wondering 
if the man did know of the place for which they had 
started. 

“ I was near there a little while ago,” said the old 


AN INQUISITIVE STRANGER. 2gg 

man, “ and I heard that twelve transports, under the 
protection of three war vessels with about a thou- 
sand men on board, had just returned from a three 
weeks’ cruise. They ’d been to Gardiner’s and 
Fisher’s islands, they ’re not far from New London, 
you know, where they ’d stolen about two thousand 
sheep, and more than a hundred head of cattle. 
They also had taken an outward bound vessel, which 
had about forty head of cattle and thirty sheep on 
board. That ’s fine business for a powerful country 
like Great Britain, isn’t it, boys? Seems like 
quite a come-down from such work as William did, to 
killing sheep in the Colonies.” 

The boys were interested but said nothing by way 
of reply, so determined were they that they would 
not let slip any word that should even indirectly dis- 
close their plans ; but the eagerness with which they 
hailed his story left the stranger in no doubt as to 
which side in the struggle they leaned. 

“ I ’ve been in Cambridge,” he said, “ a good 
many times. In fact I was there when General 
Washington, under the old elm, took command of 
the Colonial forces. They have just had a great 
time there. I hear they had a dinner in celebration 
of the tenth anniversary of the first opposition in 
England to the plan of the ministers for making 
slaves of the Colonists. The field officers of the 
sixth brigade met at the house of Jonathan Hastings, 
and they drank fourteen toasts.” 


300 


THREE C0L0NTAL BOYS. 


“ They must have been in good fighting trim 
when they got through,” said John. 

The old man laughed and said: “Their spirits 
rose, I presume, as they poured the spirits into them. 
At any rate among the toasts were : ‘ The Nineteenth 
of April, 1775/ ‘The President of the Continental 
Congress/ ‘ A speedy export to all the enemies of 
America/ and ‘ Immortal honor to that patriot and 
hero, Dr. Joseph Warren ’ ; but I can’t stay here to 
talk with you any more,” he continued. “ I may see 
you again, however, in Cambridge.” 

The boys looked up, wondering if they had said 
anything that would lead him to think that that was 
the place they were seeking. 

The old man laughed again as he said : “ When 
you go back to New Jersey you want to look up 
some things about Elizabeth Town, for the next 
time I see you I may want to ask you more questions 
about that than I did about New York.” 

The boys were still more confused, wondering 
how he could possibly know that they were from 
New Jersey. The old man enjoyed their confusion 
and said : “ When you get all this powder safely at 
Cambridge, I want you to come and see me ; ” and 
he laughed aloud at the consternation that was 
apparent on both faces. 

“ I ’d like to know,” said Joseph, “if I may be so 
bold, how you know so much.” 

“That’s easily explained, when you know that I 


AN INQUISITIVE STRANGER . 


301 


was sent just to see that your expedition was mov- 
ing on all right ; ” and he laughed heartily, as putting 
his horse into a gallop, he soon left them behind. 
The last words they heard from him were : “You are 
doing very well, boys. I don’t think any stranger 
will learn very much from you, not even about the 
the part of the country we live in.” 

“ What a funny old man he was ! ” said Joseph, 
“ but I ’ll tell you what I ’m going to do, John, just 
the minute I get home ; I ’m going to learn all I can 
about New Jersey, and I ’m not going to be tripped 
up again, as we ’ve been to-day, on the history of 
our own neighborhood.” 

The day passed on, and when night drew near 
they halted at a tavern in a little village, and made 
their preparations to spend the night there. They 
little knew what strange experiences they were to 
have, and what unusual events would occur before 
the morning came.. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 


Joseph’s empty room. 



HE farther Mr. Terrill led the expedition, of 


-*■ which he was in charge, the more anxious he 
became. He was more and more afraid that some 
one in the country through which they had been 
passing might have suspected the true object they 
had in view, and by sending word in advance of them, 
might be making trouble for them. As they came 
nearer their destination, he increased his watchful- 
ness and redoubled his zeal. 

When the members of the party halted at the 
little tavern which we mentioned in the last chapter, 
they used unusual precautions in their preparations 
for the night. 

“ What shall we do with the load to-night ? ” said 
Mr. Terrill to the boys. 

“ It’s about our turn to stay on guard,” said John, 
“ and we ’ll both sleep on the load if you want 
us to.” 

“ I hardly dare risk that,” said he, “ for don’t you 
remember how I said that ‘ one boy was a boy and 
two boys were only half a boy ’ ? Not that I mean 
that you won’t be careful,” he quickly added, as he 
saw how hurt the boys were at his words; “but 


JOSEPH'S EMPTY ROOM . 


303 


because I think some one of more experience ought 
to be on guard to-night.” 

“ We ’ll do whatever you want us to,” said John 
quietly, “ and we ’ll do it the very best we can. We 
can’t do more than that.” 

“ I know that,” said Mr. Terrill, “ and I am more 
than pleased at what you have done thus far; but 
I feel so anxious about the success of this expedi- 
tion, that I think I ’ll stay on guard myself to-night, 
and I ’ll have you stay with me, John, if you ’re will- 
ing to, and we ’ll both sleep on the hay ; but we ’ll 
go to our rooms in the tavern first, just as if we 
expected to sleep there, and then in a little while, 
after everything is quiet and all are in bed, we ’ll 
come out here and take our places on the load.” 

Joseph was to have a room by himself that night, 
although apparently it had been assigned to both 
the boys. They both were in the room, sitting 
quietly in the darkness and waiting for the time to 
come when John should join Mr. Terrill in the 
watch over the load, and in low tones had been talk- 
ing about the exciting scenes through which they 
had passed and the more exciting events which they 
believed to be before them, when they were startled 
by the sound of men entering the room next to 
theirs. 

“You ’re going to have neighbors to-night,” said 
John. 

“They’ll keep me from getting lonesome,” replied 


304 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


Joseph, “ though I don’t think I shall stay awake 
very long to entertain them. I have n’t been more 
tired any day since I left home.” 

“ Hush ! ” said John in a low tone, laying his 
hand upon his companion’s shoulder. The partition 
which separated their room from the next was of 
thin matched boards, without plastering, and did not 
prevent the words in the room adjoining theirs from 
being heard. John had caught a word which startled 
him, and recalling Mr. Terrill’s anxiety and his own 
increasing fears, he was alert and quick to catch the 
signs of any threatening danger. 

Joseph responded to John’s touch, and both the 
boys remained silent and listening. 

The men in the next room were whispering, and 
evidently thought their words could not be heard ; 
but their whispers were so loud and penetrating 
that they were heard more easily than they would 
have been if the men had spoken in louder tones. 
That which they heard was enough to startle the 
boys, for the words which they caught had reference 
to the very party of which they were members. 
They soon became convinced that the men knew 
what was being carried under the hay, as well as 
who were carrying it, and where they were going. 

Satisfied at length that they had learned of a real 
danger, and of something that was threatening 
them that very night, John told Joseph that he must 
remain awake and watch his neighbors, and that if 


JOSEPH'S EMPTY ROOM. 


305 


anything unusual occurred, he must report at once 
to Mr. Terrill and himself, who would be on guard 
on the load. 

“ Hear everything you can hear,” whispered John, 
“ and if anything is done that we ought to know, 
make a break for us.” 

Both boys were highly excited, and John’s heart 
was beating rapidly as on tip-toe he left the room, 
and after he had closed the door as quietly as he 
could, he made his way down the stairs and out to 
the load, where he found Mr. Terrill already on 
guard. 

When he had joined him, in low tones he told 
him of the discovery he had made in Joseph’s room 
and of the danger which he believed was threaten- 
ing them that very night. Mr. Terrill listened 
attentively, and his anxiety was greatly increased at 
the report which his young friend brought him. 

“There’s nothing for us to do, John,” said Mr. 
Terrill at last, “ but to stay here and keep wide 
awake till morning. We shall have to be on our 
guard to-night as we never have been before ; but 
you boys have done a great thing for us to-night, 
and I never shall say a word again about two boys 
being a half a boy, at least the two boys we have 
with us, who are a host in themselves.” 

The hours of the night passed on, and the morn- 
ing had nearly come, and as yet nothing unusual 
had occurred. John had become very sleepy, and 


3°6 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


more than once found himself dozing ; but a touch 
on the shoulder by Mr. Terrill always aroused him, 
and he would make unusual efforts to keep himself 
awake. 

They wondered why Joseph had not come to 
them, and whether anything unusual had happened 
to him to keep him from following out his plans. 
Perhaps he had been shut in his room, or the men 
had heard him when he was trying to make his way 
out to the load and had held him in the tavern. 
A dozen different surmises rose in John’s mind, and 
he became more and more anxious, not merely at 
the danger which threatened their load, but at those 
into which he imagined his friend might have fallen ; 
and yet there was nothing for them to do where they 
were but to wait and continue their watch. 

John thought he had never seen the stars twinkle 
as they did that night, and he was very sure that the 
minutes never before in his experience had dragged 
themselves on so slowly. His desire to sleep 
returned after a time, and he was once more aroused 
by Mr. Terrill, who was gently shaking him. 

“ John, do you think you could make your way up 
to Joseph’s room without waking any one ? I don’t 
know but you ’d better go up there and see if any- 
thing has happened to him.” 

“ Yes, I think I could,” replied John. “ I ’ll go 
right away.” And he was just making preparations 
to slip off from the load when Mr. Terrill’s hand was 


JOSETH'S EMPTY ROOM. 307 

again laid upon him, and in a low whisper he told 
him to wait for a few minutes. 

• He called his young companion’s attention to two 
forms which he saw just coming around the tavern 
front and going out into the road. Both of them 
watched the new-comers as long as they could see 
them in the darkness, but they did not approach the 
load, and soon disappeared down the road. 

Mr. Terrill, greatly relieved, then said to John : “ I 
think it will be safe enough for you to go now ; but 
do you know one of those men made me think of 
Joseph.” 

“That’s just what I thought,” replied John in a 
low tone. “ I wonder if it was.” 

“ I hardly think it could have been Joseph,” 
replied Mr. Terrill. “What would he be doing out 
here in the darkness, going down the road with 
another man ? But you can go into the tavern and 
find out, if you can, whether he ’s there or not, and 
whether anything has occurred that we ought to 
know since you left him.” 

John quickly slipped off from the load and ran as 
rapidly and quietly as he could around behind the 
tavern, and stood for a few moments under the 
window of the room in which he knew his friend had 
been. He listened attentively and tried to learn 
whether anything unusual was going on within. He 
started whenever the leaves upon a tree near him 
were blown by the wind, and was in a nervous 


3°8 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


tremor for fear that some one had seen him, and 
might be stealing upon him in the darkness. 

After listening for several minutes and hearing no 
sound from the room, he crept around to the other 
side of the tavern, and opening the front door, which 
was left unfastened through the night, he began to 
make his way up the stairs, stopping at every step 
to see if his presence had been discovered. When 
at last he had mounted the winding stairway, and 
stood in the hall on the second floor, not far from 
where Joseph’s room was, he again stopped and 
listened. 

He was startled as he saw a light under the door 
of the room next to Joseph’s, and said to himself : 
“ That ’s funny ! That ’s the room those men were 
in whom we heard talking. I wonder if they ’re in 
there now ? It may be that they ’ve made some 
trouble for Joe, and that ’s the reason he has n’t 
reported to us before.” But even while he was 
speaking to himself he was astonished as he saw the 
door of the room from which the light came, slowly 
opened. 

He was frightened, and yet had presence of mind 
to step quickly back into a recess in the hall from 
which he could see what was occurring without 
being in great danger of being seen himself. 

The door was at length opened, and a man with a 
candle in his hand stepped forth into the hall. 
John stepped a little farther back into the dark recess 


JOSEPH'S EMPTY ROOM. 3O9 

in which he stood, knowing that if the light should 
fall upon him the man could not fail to see him. 
But glancing quickly up and down the hall he took 
his candle and stepped out, and, to the great sur- 
prise of John, went at once to the door of Joseph’s 
room. 

What could be the meaning of it all ? Was he 
meditating some mischief to Joseph ? Was his 
friend in personal danger ? Should he shout and 
call for help ? 

Even while these questions were in John’s mind, 
the stranger opened the door of his companion’s 
room and stepped quickly inside and closed it after 
him. John was so startled that when the man dis- 
appeared from sight he hardly knew what to do * 
next. Evidently Joseph’s door had not been fast- 
ened, and the manner in which the man had entered 
the room showed that he was not expecting any 
resistance from within. 

What should he do ? Remain where he was and 
wait for further events ? This seemed to the anx- 
ious boy the better plan, and so he remained quietly 
in the recess. It seemed to him that a long time 
had passed, and nothing at all had been done to 
furnish any solution of the mystery which was per- 
plexing him. He noticed, however, that no light 
now came from under the door of Joseph’s room. 

John was not sure whether this had been so at the 
first or not, for he had neglected to notice it when 


3io 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


the man had first gone in ; but he was sure that the 
man had not come out again, and as he waited, it 
seemed to him that anything would be better than 
this long-continued silence which was fast becoming 
unendurable. Besides he knew that Mr. Terrill 
was waiting anxiously for his return, and must be 
greatly puzzled at his long absence. 

It seemed to John that he must do something, 
and he disliked to go back to the load without 
doing something to solve the mystery, and yet he 
was more than half-afraid to try to enter Joseph’s 
room. From the words which they had overheard, 
he knew that these strangers were ready for almost 
anything. Any men who would attempt to blow up 
a load of powder would not hesitate for a moment to 
deal savagely with a young boy who might stand 
in their way. 

At last, when John could endure the strain no 
longer, he decided that he would approach the door 
in Joseph’s room and rap upon it. As the handle 
of the latch was upon the outside of the door, if any 
unusual response should be made to his summons, 
he decided that he would hold that fast, bracing his 
feet against the wall, and call as loudly as he could 
for help. That would arouse all the men who were 
sleeping in the tavern, and he knew that would be 
the very thing which these plotters would not want 
done. 

He began to make his way quietly along the hall, 


JOSEPH'S EMPTY ROOM. 


311 

stopping at almost every step and breathless in his 
excitement to see if any one was watching him, or 
if any danger was approaching. The darkness was 
so thick that it was with the greatest difficulty that 
he could see his way. It seemed to him that boards 
had never creaked so loudly as those upon which he 
stepped, as he approached Joseph’s room, but at 
last he had come near enough to touch the door, 
but it was some time before he could gain the cour- 
age to rap upon it. 

At last he did this timidly, and almost breath- 
less waited for the response. His hands were ready 
to grasp the latch and to hold the door if any dan- 
ger threatened him from within. No response came 
to the rap, however, and then the trembling boy 
repeated it three or four times, and as no response 
at all was received, he decided to try to open the 
door. Enough light had come through the cracks 
to make him certain that the candle was burning in 
the room, and he knew that the advantage would be 
with him at first, as the darkness would be on his 
side. 

It was some time, even after his thumb had been 
placed upon the latch, before he could get his 
courage up to the point of opening the door, but 
at last he did this quickly, and at once stepped back 
out of the light. But no response was made even 
to this abrupt measure, and as no one in the tavern 
seemed to be aware of his presence, he soon stepped 


3 12 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


back again to a place where he could look into the 
room without being seen himself. No one was 
there, and when he entered he found that even 
Joseph’s clothes were gone. 

The bed had not been slept in, and the only visi- 
ble sign that any one had been in the room at all 
was the open window. 

Sadly puzzled, John took the candle and began to 
make an examination of the room. He did not 
know but his friend might have left a note behind 
him, or some token to show that he had gone away ; 
but after a careful search not a thing could John 
find. The only knowledge he had gained was that 
his friend was not there, that the bed had not been 
slept in, and that there was nothing to show what 
had become of him. He blew out the candle, and 
as quietly as he could, made his way down the stairs, 
and rejoined Mr. Terrill in his watch upon the load. 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 


THE ENEMY BAFFLED. 

TT is time for us to return once more to the for- 
^ tunes of Evart and his companion, Ethan Cobb, 
whom we left just as they were escaping from the 
building in which they had been penned through the 
trickery of Ethan’s enemy. 

Ethan was satisfied that this man, whom he had 
worsted in his dealings with him in the “ London 
Trading” and “ Whale-boat Warfare,” would not be 
satisfied to let things easily pass by now. The 
malignant way in which he had regarded them all 
through their voyage from England, and the hatred 
which he had manifested after their arrival at the 
West Indies, all went to show that he would not 
easily let go a grudge which he had cherished for so 
long a time. 

They were satisfied, therefore, that this experience 
through which they had just passed would not be 
the last they would have with him, and when they 
found themselves freed from their prison house, and 
able to make their way back to the shore, many 
thoughts had been in their minds. The disappoint- 
ment, which they met when they found that the 
ship had gone upon which they had hoped to make 

3 X 3 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


3H 

their passage home, left them free to consider the 
dangers and perplexities which they were well aware 
would still face them. 

They were rejoiced to have escaped from the place 
into which they had been lured, but although they 
found that they had been disappointed in one hope, 
they were by no means cast down. Their perilous 
adventures during the past few weeks only served 
to make them more watchful now, and at once they 
resolutely set about discovering some new way out 
of their difficulties. 

When they turned from the dock and started back 
up the street, almost the first person they met was 
the colored man who had led them on by his false 
promises, and had brought them into their last 
difficulty. 

Evart uttered an expression of surprise as he saw 
him, and gave a warning word to his companion, 
but the surprise which he had was not equal to that 
which the negro manifested. He gave one glance 
at the two men whom he had left securely fastened, 
as he thought, in a place from which they could 
have found no escape without his assistance. His 
look was one of mingled astonishment and fear. 
He was satisfied after a moment that they were 
indeed the men who had been placed in his charge, 
and his feeling of fear seemed to increase. He 
stopped in his walk and looked up and down the 
street, and then with one exclamation of dismay 


THE ENEMY BAFFLED. 315 

started to run. He did not stop even to glance 
behind him, and it became evident to Evart that 
others beside himself were in great fear of Ethan's 
enemy. He soon disappeared down the street, and 
if they had not been so busied with their thoughts 
about their own safety, they would have laughed 
heartily at the ludicrous sight which the fleeing 
negro presented. 

But the experience which they had just had, 
served to make them more watchful, and when once 
they were satisfied that there was no immediate 
hope of their being able to return to the Colonies, 
Ethan said: “We shall have to keep very quiet 
now. I think perhaps the best thing we can do will 
be to find some room in a house that is not very well 
known, and stay there for a few days.” 

“You’re not going to give up looking for a 
return to the Colonies, are you ? ” said Evart, some- 
what disappointed at the coolness of his Yankee 
friend. 

“ Give up going back to the Colonies ? ” repeated 
Ethan. “ Not much ; that ’s the very thing I ’m not 
going to do, but we ’ll have to hide away from this 
fellow who is after us ; and if we can throw him off 
the track for a little while, we ’ll stand a good deal 
better chance of making it. I don’t believe this 
darkey will tell his boss right away that we ’ve 
broke loose, but it won’t be long before that fellow 
will know it. I think that darkey will catch it then 


3 1 6 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

worse than we have, but we ’ll have to make a little 
hay while the sun shines now, and try to find a place 
where we can be safe and keep quiet for a few days.” 

Evart agreed to this suggestion, and in a little 
while they found a room in the house of an old man 
who lived alone with his wife on a quiet street. 
There they remained for a few days scarcely going 
out at all. The old man had many curious questions 
to put to them, but they pretended at first not to 
understand his broken English, and so avoided giv- 
ing him very much information ; but satisfied after 
a little time that they could trust him somewhat, 
they sent him down to the dock one day to try to 
learn if there was any vessel expected soon from 
the Colonies, or that was going to sail for any of the 
ports of America. 

When he brought back the report that he ’d been 
unable to learn of any either coming or going, 
Ethan said: “Well, we’ll stay where we are then. 
I think maybe we need a good rest after all we ’ve 
done.” 

Evart, whose impatience daily became more 
marked, made no reply, and yet he quietly acqui- 
esced and remained within the house. No signs had 
been seen of their enemy, and they felt quite certain 
that their hiding-place had not been discovered ; 
but each day they sent the old man down to the 
dock upon the same errand. 

For a long time he only brought back the same 


THE ENEMY BAFFLED. 


3 l 7 


report, but at last, there came a day when he re- 
turned with the glad news that there were two 
schooners soon to leave, as he thought, for Salem. 

Ethan asked him many questions, and at last 
became certain that the old man had brought back 
a true report. His experience with his enemy, 
however, had made him very suspicious, and he was 
afraid that some trick was involved even in this 
report which had been brought and for which the 
two men had been waiting so eagerly. 

“ I more ’n half-think the old man is right, and 
yet I don’t want to run any chances,” Ethan said to 
Evart after their host had gone down the stairs and 
left them alone. 

“ How are you going to find out whether he ’s 
right or not ? ” asked Evart. 

“ Oh, I ’ve got a scheme,” replied Ethan. “ My 
Yankee mind is n’t very slow, you know.” 

“ No, I know that,” replied Evart ; “ but I don’t 
believe in your schemes very much. If it had n’t 
been for your tricks and your trying to get some- 
thing for nothing by your ‘ London Trading,’ we 
wouldn’t have had any trouble here at all.” 

“Oh, well,” said Ethan, “I wouldn’t have lost 
getting the best of that measley man for all that 
we ’ve been through. I ’ll sell him some wooden 
nutmegs yet before I ’m done with him. They say 
that’s what every Connecticut Yankee has to do 
some time before he dies.” 


3 I 8 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

“ Yes,” replied Evart, “ that ’s all right ; but 
what about getting a passage on these schooners ? ” 

“ I don’t know that there are any schooners 
there,” replied Ethan. “ But when it gets a little 
dark, I ’m going to send you down to the dock to 
find out.” 

“ Me ? ” asked Evart. “Why don’t you go your- 
self, you ’re so much shrewder than I am ? ” 

“ Yes ; and that ’s the very reason I ’m not going 
myself,” replied Ethan. “ They won’t be half as 
quick to suspect you as they will me, and it ’s a good 
deal better for you to go alone.” 

“ Well, anything is better than staying penned up 
here,” said Evart ; “ so I ’ll be glad to go.” 

When the sun had set and it had become dark 
enough to further his plans, Evart started out alone 
for the dock. It was a relief for him to escape from 
the stifling room. Even the sense of his own 
danger did not rob him of the pleasure of being 
able to move about once more in the open air, but 
he was, however, on the alert, and while he was 
watchful of all the men he met, he still tried to 
pass along the street in such a way as not to arouse 
the suspicions of any one. 

He arrived at the dock safely, and felt satisfied 
that no one had paid any attention to him as he 
came, and his heart beat rapidly as he saw two 
schooners at the dock. 

“ The old man was right,” he' said to himself; “ at 


THE ENEMY BAFFLED . 


319 


least so far. Now, if I can only find out just where 
these schooners are bound for, and if it turns out 
that they are going to America, I shall be all right. 
I know well enough they ’ll let us work our passage 
home,” he again said to himself, and elated at the 
thought, he approached a little group of men whom 
he saw standing together on the dock. As he 
hailed one he said : “ Do you know where those 
schooners are bound for ? ” The man to whom he 
spoke turned about and peered at him curiously and 
said : “ Yes ; they ’re bound for the Colonies.” 

“ When are they going to sail ? ” asked Evart. 
But before he could receive a reply a man stepped 
out from the midst of the sailors, and Evart at once 
recognized him as Ethan’s enemy. He did not 
wait for any further words, but turned at once and 
ran swiftly up the street. He did not know whether 
he was being pursued or not, but his fear increased 
his speed, and he soon found himself far from the 
shore, but in a part of the town that was new to 
him. 

It was some time before he could make his way 
back to the quarter with which he was familiar, but 
when at last he did, he started for the place where 
he had left Ethan. He was not running now, and 
whenever he saw any man approaching he stepped 
back out of sight and waited for him to pass. Satis- 
fied at length that he was not being pursued, he 
started again on a brisk walk, from which he did not 


. 320 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


cease until he had arrived at the house where Ethan 
was and had closed the door behind him. 

It was an exciting story which he had to tell his 
companion, and during its recital Ethan many times 
shook his head, and kept uttering the expression, 
“ That ’s bad ! That ’s bad ! ” 

It was at length decided that they should remain 
quietly in the room for a day or two, and then that 
they should send the old man with a letter for the 
captain of one of the schooners, and trust to that 
for securing them a passage home. Their impa- 
tience, however, did not allow them to wait long, 
and Evart wrote a carefully worded letter, in which 
he told of the predicament in which he and his com- 
panion were, and begged of the captain, whose 
name he did not know, that he would receive them 
on board and allow them to work their passage 
home. 

They did not tell the old man anything of their 
plans and hopes, and gave him the letter with the 
instructions that he was to seek out the captain of 
either one of the schooners, and that he should in 
person deliver the note to him and wait for the 
reply. They promised him a reward if he were 
careful, and at last sent him forth. 

Ethan waited philosophically for the reply to 
come, but Evart in his impatience walked up and 
down the room like a lion in his cage. It seemed 
to him that he could have made the trip a dozen 


THE ENEMY BAFFLED. 32 I 

times in the time the old man took, and when at last 
he did return, Evart’s hands trembled so in his 
excitement that he could hardly take the letter 
which he brought him. 

The letter which the old man gave him more than 
satisfied him, and the captain expressed his entire 
willingness to receive them on board, and to carry 
them without charge back to the Colonies. He also 
promised, if they wished it, that he would come for 
them if they felt afraid to come alone to the 
schooner. The time which he named for their sail- 
ing was only a week away, and there was nothing 
they could do except to remain where they were. 
They meanwhile sent him word that they would not 
come to the schooner until just about the time of 
her departure, and they asked the captain to send 
them word just when he would be ready. 

The days which had passed slowly before seemed 
to drag now, and it was with the greatest difficulty 
that Ethan could prevail upon his young friend to 
remain within the house. 

“ Don’t get uneasy,” said Ethan ; “ you don’t want 
to spoil everything now just when the very time has 
come that we’ve been waiting so long for. Just see 
how quiet I am,” he would say ; but when the week 
had passed at last, and they had received no word from 
the captain, Ethan himself began to be very anxious. 

“ He ’s forgotten us ; I know he has,” said Evart. 

“No, he hasn’t,” replied Ethan, trying to make 


3 22 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


his reply appear more hopeful than he himself really 
was. “ He has n’t got off just at the time he 
thought he would. He probably has been delayed 
a little and he does n’t want us to come aboard 
ahead of time, as it might make trouble for him as 
well as for us.” 

“ Well, if we don’t hear anything by to-morrow 
night,” said Evart, “ I ’ll go down to the dock myself 
and see what ’s wrong ; ” but on the following after- 
noon a message was sent to the house, containing 
simply the words, “Come at once — disguise 
yourselves.” 

A disguise was something they had not thought 
of, and they had no time now in which to prepare 
one. 

“ We ’ll take the chances,” said Ethan, “ and start 
off right away.” Evart wished to run, but Ethan 
managed to calm his young friend enough to bring 
him to a rapid walk, and they quickly passed down 
the street and came in sight of the dock. There 
they saw but one schooner and that almost ready for 
sailing. A part of the sails had been hoisted and 
there was every sign that she was going to put to 
sea at once. They started on the run then, and 
passing along the dock, just as they came to the 
gangplank they saw the enemy of whom they stood 
in such fear, standing near by with a half-dozen com- 
panions, evidently watching for their arrival. 

Without a word, however, the two fugitives 


THE ENEMY BAFFLED. 323 

jumped aboard just as a rush was made for them. 
,The captain was waiting- for them, and as soon as he 
saw them he gave out his order to cast off, and 
ordered the other men to stay on shore. Many 
angry words were exchanged, but the schooner 
meanwhile slowly began to draw away from the 
dock. 

Ethan was in high glee. He called out to the 
angry man : “ Don’t try to catch a Connecticut 

Yankee. The next time you do, you ’ll lose more 
than you did when you had any ‘ London Trading’ 
with him.” 

Evart was more rejoiced than his companion at 
their escape, although he had no disposition to taunt 
the angry and baffled man who stood upon the dock 
and watched them as they drew away. The shore 
soon began to disappear, and in the thought that he 
was going home Evart turned to the captain to learn 
what he had for him to do. 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 


AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. 

O say that John Shotwell was startled when he 



A found that Joseph was not in his room would 
be a mild statement. At once he thought of the 
forms which he had seen departing in the darkness, 
one of which Mr. Terrill had thought was Joseph, in 
which opinion John also had been inclined to share. 

He was trying to think out the meaning of it all 
as he went back to the load, but when he told Mr. 
Terrill what he had learned, he was as puzzled as 
John. In low tones they talked over the strange 
disappearance, and waited for something to occur to 
explain its meaning ; but an hour passed on and 
nothing was seen or done which threw the least 
light upon their companion’s whereabouts. 

Where could Joseph be? Had he met with foul 
play? Had he been spirited away by those men 
whose words they had overheard, and which plainly 
showed that they knew of the expedition in which 
they were engaged ? 

John, who knew how impulsive his friend was, 
tried to assure himself that Joseph might have taken 
upon himself the task of blocking the party in 
some of their movements, and that when they had 


AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF, THE ARMY. 325 

seen him going down the road a short time before, 
that it was for some such purpose as that; but im- 
mediately he remembered how there was another 
man with him, and then he was more puzzled than 
ever. The man who had entered Joseph’s room 
had done so evidently feeling sure of himself and 
without any fear as to whom he might meet when 
he entered. 

The more John thought about it, the more puzzled 
he became, and he was trying hard to find some 
possible way out of the perplexity. 

If Joseph were in trouble, surely he ought not to 
remain there on the load and leave him to bear the 
consequences of it alone. He knew that Joseph 
would not do that if he himself were in trouble, 
and his heart became more and more heavy as he 
thought over all the possible dangers into which 
Joseph might have fallen. 

In the midst of these thoughts he suddenly felt 
Mr. Terrill pull his sleeve, and in a low whisper 
call his attention to some one he saw approaching 
down the road. The darkness was so intense that 
John at first could not make out anything, but look- 
ing steadily in the direction in which Mr. Terrill had 
pointed, he soon was certain that he saw two men 
approaching. They came very slowly, and every 
few minutes would stop to watch and look about 
them, but it was plain that stealthily they were 
coming nearer. John felt his own heart begin to 


3 2 6 


thf.ee colonial boys. 


beat more rapidly, and he was not certain whether 
the men he saw approaching were the same two that, 
a short time before, he had seen disappear down 
the road, or whether they were men coming with 
evil designs towards the load. 

He could see Mr. Terrill, as he reached for and 
cocked his gun. The excitement was becoming 
more and more intense. The two men had sepa- 
rated now, as one was going towards the tavern, and 
the other certainly was approaching the load. He 
came forward very cautiously, however, and at every 
few steps would stop to listen, glancing carefully 
meanwhile towards the tavern, and then in the direc- 
tion of the load. As he came nearer, Mr. Terrill 
decided to wait no longer, and at once hailed him. 
It was with a great sigh of relief that John heard 
the reply. 

“It’s Joseph. Is that you, Mr. Terrill?” called 
out his friend. 

“Yes,” replied Mr. Terrill. “Come up here and 
tell us where you have been. Tell us all about it. 
We Ve been a great deal stirred up about you. 
When John found that you were not in your room 
and had n’t slept there, we both of us were afraid 
that something had happened to you ; but come up 
here and tell us all about it.” 

Joseph quickly obeyed the summons, and making 
his way to the top of the load, sat down beside his 
friends and began his story. 


AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY. 327 

u You see,” said he, “ right after John left my room 
and we had overheard those men talking, I was pretty 
badly scared. I did n’t feel very much better when 
I heard the door open and both those men go down 
the stairs. If I had done just what I wanted to, I 
should have cleared out, too, and come here, for I 
did n’t feel very much like a soldier. I was afraid 
those men might suspect me ; but then I stopped to 
think how it might come to pass that I should hear 
something there in the room or find out something 
that might be of use to you, so I tried to brace my 
heart and stay it out. 

“ It was n’t more than fifteen minutes later when 
somebody came up the stairs and stopped at my 
door and rapped. When I opened it and saw 
that it was one of the men who had the room next 
to mine, I did n’t feel very much better. I said to 
myself, ‘ Your time ’s come now, and you ’re certainly 
in for it.’ 

“ I guess I must have looked pretty badly scared, 
for I did n’t say anything when I opened the door, 
but the man himself came in, and when he had shut 
the door he turned the button and then sat down on 
a chair.” 

“He whispered to me and wanted to know if I 
was alone. I had just spunk enough left to nod 
my head, though I did n’t know but he was going 
to go for me when he found there was n’t anybody 
else there ; but pretty quick he asked me if I ’d 


328 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

heard their talk in the next room. I nodded my 
head and then he wanted to know if I could make 
out anything they had said. 

“ I did n’t know just what to say, but I managed 
to nod my head again, and he told me that he was 
glad of it. Then he went on to tell me that he ’d 
been drawn into the business against his will, but 
while he was n’t very much of a Yankee he was only 
half Tory, and although he was very sorry the Colo- 
nies were making war he was just as sorry for the 
things the British soldiers were doing, and then, too, 
he went on to tell me how they had heard there was 
a lot of gunpowder going through to Cambridge, 
though he did n’t tell me how they found that out. 
He said that he ’d been drawn into the scheme of 
stealing it and hiding it or blowing it up. 

“ The more he thought about it the meaner it 
seemed to him to take any hand against men when 
they were working as hard as the Continentals were, 
even if he did n’t believe in all that they were 
doing ; and when the other man had been talking 
with him in the next room about the plan he ’d 
formed of blowing up the wagonload that night, 
his own heart went back on him. He knew that we 
were in the same party, and it popped into his head 
then that he might get out of it all by pretending to 
his companion that he ’d find out from me all about 
the expedition and would get me out of the tavern 
so that there would n’t be any danger of their being 


AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY. 329 

heard when they were talking. Then he trusted to 
luck or something else to prevent the plans being 
carried out, and if he could report to the other man 
that the load was guarded and the watchers were 
armed, he thought it might put an end to the whole 
scheme. 

“ He was mortally afraid the other man would find 
out something about it, and he did n’t like to appear 
at all as if he was going back on him, and yet at the 
same time he made out as if he was doing a favor 
to all concerned by preventing any trouble, and so 
he asked me to go outside with him and the other 
man would think that he ’d got me out so that he 
could come to my room, and search it to see if he 
could find anything that would give him any more 
information there. 

“ At first I did n’t like to go with him. I was 
afraid of him, to tell the truth ; but I looked him 
over pretty carefully, and made up my mind that if 
he and I had a tussle, I would n’t come out second 
best ; and I think the man noticed, too, that I might 
be a little scary about going away with him, for he 
told me a good many times that what he was telling 
me was gospel truth, and that what he was doing 
was out of the best of motives. 

“ Finally I made up my mind that I ’d chance it 
anyway. You know I never stop very long in tak- 
ing risks, and I ’m glad I did go this time, for when 
he finds out that we have regular guards on the 


33 ° 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


loads, and that they are armed, as I gave him to 
understand they were, and he tells the other man 
about it, I don’t believe we ’ll be in any danger of 
any mischief from them to-night.” 

Mr. Terrill listened to Joseph’s story and said : 
“ I think you have done all right, Joseph. You may 
have saved us a good deal of trouble to-night. 
Sometimes I have been afraid that you might get us 
into trouble, as often you do things without stopping 
to think.” 

“ I know it,” said Joseph, “ and that ’s what made 
me afraid to go with him to-night. Do you think 
we ’d better start on now ? ” 

“ No,” replied Mr. Terrill ; “ we ’d be in more 
danger traveling in the darkness than we are here. 
I don’t think we shall have much trouble here 
to-night, after what you ’ve told us ; but we ’ll keep 
a pretty careful watch till morning ; ” and all three 
of them remained awake till sunrise. But nothing 
unusual occurred, and early in the morning they 
resumed their journey. This* adventure, however, 
was the last that they had before they arrived at 
Cambridge. 

The country through which they now passed was 
very interesting to the boys, and they wondered how 
men were able to make their living there, it was so 
much rougher and more rocky than the fertile, level 
lands about their homes. But at last the journey 
was completed, and they had arrived at the head- 


AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY. 33 I 

quarters of the army. This had been the great ambi- 
tion of the boys, and their curiosity was very keen, 
and they were greatly interested in all they saw. 

General Washington, whose personal bearing 
greatly impressed the boys, gave his receipt for the 
powder, simply saying that it had been received 
from “ the South,” as no one wished it to be known 
just where it had come from. 

“ I tell you, Joseph,” said John, “ General Wash- 
ington does n’t look as if he would ever give up, 
does he ? ” 

“Not much, he doesn’t,” replied Joseph; “and 
he does n’t look as if he would be very gentle with 
his own men, if they went wrong, either.” 

“ I don’t know about that,” replied John ; “ he 
looks to me like a good man.” 

“ He ’s made some sharp rules for the soldiers 
anyway,” replied Joseph. “ If one of them gets 
drunk, or tells a lie or steals anything, or does n’t 
obey, or is disrespectful to the officers, he just 
catches it.” 

“ Who told you about it? ” asked John. 

“ Oh, one of the soldiers,” replied Joseph. “You 
see it does n’t take me very long to get acquainted.” 

“ Well, what do they do with the men if they are 
guilty ? ” 

“ They fine them or stand them in the pillory or 
fasten them in the stocks or make them ride a 
wooden horse. Sometimes they’ve whipped them 


33 2 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


and drummed them out of the camp. He ’s also 
pretty sharp if any one of them swears, and he ’s up 
to the mark in making them attend divine service.” 

“You know so much about the soldiers here,” 
said John, “ maybe you know just how many there 
are of them.” 

“ That ’s what I do,” replied Joseph. “ There are 
about fourteen thousand that they can count on.” 

“Do you know how many the British have?” 
asked John. 

“ This soldier I was talking with told me that they 
had about eleven thousand, five hundred ; but 
they’re all of the regular army and all disciplined 
troops, and they ’re worth more than twice as many 
of those who are only militia. Washington has or- 
ganized his army in three divisions, and he ’s put 
twelve regiments in each division. He ’s tried to 
put the men from the same Colonies together, too, 
if he could. General Ward has charge of the right 
wing and he ’s stationed at Roxbury. General Lee 
has command of the left wing and he ’s put Sullivan 
in charge of Winter Hill, and Green in charge of 
Prospect Hill. General Putnam has charge of the 
centre at Cambridge.” 

“ I don’t see how you found out so much,” said 
John. 

“ Oh, that ’s easy enough,” said Joseph. “ I don’t 
go around with my eyes shut.” 

“ I don’t, either,” replied John, “ but I ’ve learned 


AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY. 333 

a little more about the college than I have about 
the soldiers.” 

“ Well, you need n’t tell me anything about it,” 
replied Joseph. “ I got all I wanted of school 
under that Tory Chase. •I’ve been to see these 
riflemen that Daniel Morgan has brought up from 
Maryland, Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania. A 
good many of them are Irish and these New Eng- 
landers don’t like them very much, but they look as 
if they could fight. They have on their breasts the 
motto ‘ Liberty or Death,’ and they ’ll get one or the 
other — I know they will.” 

Mr. Terrill had made his plans, however, to return 
in a short time, and the boys tried to make the most 
of their opportunities while they had them. 

But before they returned to New Jersey, John was 
to go on to Gloucester where a part of his mother’s 
family was living, and visit them for a few days 
before he started for home. Joseph went with him, 
but somewhat reluctantly, for at the time he greatly 
preferred the excitement at Cambridge. 

They were to return in time to go back with the 
men, and therefore started a little sooner from the 
famous old town than they otherwise would have 
done. Joseph never ceased to be thankful, however, 
that he went with his friend, for one of the most 
exciting events of his life occurred while they were 
at Gloucester. 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

t 

THE FIGHT AND FLIGHT OF THE FALCON. 

/'"AN the day following the arrival of the boys at 
Gloucester they went down to the shore, and 
with great curiosity were watching the whalers and 
the fishermen who made their homes there. They 
were attracted during their walk by the sight of a 
crowd upon the shore which was rapidly increasing, 
and from which loud shouts were coming. Some- 
thing exciting evidently was occurring, and the boys 
at once resolved that they must be on hand to see 
and share in it. 

When they drew near to the assembly, they found 
that the crowd was watching a sloop-of-war, which 
they afterwards learned was the Falcon, and which 
was evidently chasing two schooners. The boys 
heard some one say that these schooners were from 
the West Indies, and were bound for the port of 
Salem. 

They little knew who was on board of one of 
them, and how much greater their interest would 
have been if they could have seen the anxious face 
of Evart Van Slyke, who was watching the sloop 
with great anxiety. 

He was in great fear, after all the perils fitirough 

334 


THE FIGHT AND FLIGHT OF THE FALCON. 335 

which he had safely passed and the adventures 
which he had met, that now, at the very end of his 
voyage, and when he was within sight of his own 
country once more, he should meet with a mis- 
fortune again. 

Although the boys did not know of the presence 
of their friend on board the schooner, they still 
became greatly excited in watching the manoeuvres 
of the sloop. Captain Lindzee of the Falcon soon 
brought one of the schooners to, but the other, 
taking advantage of the wind, put into Gloucester 
harbor. 

Lindzee was not at all dismayed by this, however, 
for, taking his prize with him, he chased the other 
schooner right into the harbor, and soon anchoring, 
sent out two barges with fifteen men in each, armed 
with muskets and swivels, after it. 

There was a whaleboat also, which he fitted out 
with a lieutenant and six privates, and told them to 
seize the schooner and bring her under the Fal- 
con's bow. But the militia and the people on the 
Gloucester shore were not uninterested spectators of 
all this, and the schooner, in response to their 
shouts, had come within the range of the shore. 

The bargemen tried to board the schooner at the 
cabin windows, and then the people began to fire at 
them, and the lieutenant was hit in the thigh, and 
three of his men were killed, and he at once started 
back towards the man-of-war. 


336 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

Lindzee seemed to be quite stirred up by this, and 
sent the other schooner and a little cutter he had 
to attend him after the other boat, and he said that 
he would cannonade the people on shore if they 
tried to interfere. He did n’t wait for much inter- 
ference, however, for he fired a broadside and 
seemed to take a fiendish delight in the havoc which 
his cannon made. They could hear him as he called 
out : “ Now, my boys, we ’ll fire at the Presbyterian 
Church ! Well, my brave fellows, one shot more 
and the house of God will fall before you ! ” 

But he reckoned without his host ; for while the 
cannon balls went through the houses in every direc- 
tion, they did not hit any of the women or the chil- 
dren gathered in them, and only served to anger 
the patriots who were at the water-side, for they 
put out in their own boats and captured both the 
schooners, the cutter, the two barges, and every man 
in them. 

The action had lasted for several hours, but the 
boys could learn of but one man who had been 
killed, although they saw two others who were 
wounded. The Gloucester patriots captured thirty- 
five of the man-of-war’s men, and twenty-four of 
them they sent to the headquarters of the army ; but 
the rest of them were men who had been pressed 
into the service and were only too glad to be allowed 
to return to their friends. 

The boys shouted and sang with the crowd as 


THE FIGHT AND FLIGHT OF iJlE FALCON. 337 

they watched Captain Lindzee warp off with only 
half of his men, having lost the prize boat, and 
without even a tender, except a little skiff that the 
wounded lieutenant had returned in. 

The boys heard afterwards how the gunner of 
the Falcon, when he was released from close con- 
finement, induced some of the Tories to go away 
with him, and made his escape to the Falcon. Great 
threats were made that if the fellow was ever taken 
again he would never get out of prison. 

The men from the schooner came ashore for a 
time, but soon went back on board. Two of those 
who had been among the crew of one of the 
schooners did not return, however, with the others. 
John and Joseph were so busy in watching the men 
and listening to the story which they had to tell of 
the Falcon’s pursuit that they did not see these two 
who remained on shore and who soon left the crowd 
and made their way to the tavern in the distance. It 
would have been a great surprise to therp if they 
had seen each other, for one of them was the 
member of the Triumvirate who had been lost, as 
they supposed, months before in the fog off Staten 
Island, and had drifted out to sea. 

They passed within a few hundred feet of 
each other, but each party had been interested in 
different events and their attention had been called 
in opposite directions, and as a consequence the 
meeting which so nearly came to pass was lost, and 


338 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


in ignorance of each other’s whereabouts they went 
their different ways. 

In a short time the boys had finished their visit at 
Gloucester and returned to Cambridge, where they 
found Mr. Terrill’s party ready to start for home on 
the following day, and reluctant as the boys were to 
leave the stirring scenes of the camp life, they 
prepared to accompany them on their homeward 
journey. 

“We’ll have no great danger going back,” said 
Joseph. “ We sha’n’t have anything with us worth 
taking, so nobody ’ll try to steal from us or blow us 
up ; and they don’t care enough about us to bother 
us at all.” 

“That’s so,” replied John, “still I’m interested 
in some of the things we shall see on our way back 
home.” 

“There ’s one thing I ’d like to see,” said Joseph, 
“and that’s my horse that those rascals stole. 
You ’re lucky enough to get old Dan back again, 
but I have n’t seen anything of my horse. I think 
my father would be glad if I could only pick him 
out of some pasture, as you did yours.” 

“Well, we’ll see,” replied John. “We may find 
more than we expect to, before we get back to 
Elizabeth Town.” 

The next morning the little party of men who had 
brought the powder to Cambridge started forth on 
their journey home. They were all on horseback 


THE FIGHT AND FLIGHT OF THE FALCON. 339 

and could make rapid progress now, and they pushed 
steadily onward. They listened to the stories which 
the boys had to tell of the experiences which they 
had met with on their former expedition, and some 
of them were more than half-inclined to stop and 
make a search for Joseph’s missing horse. 

It was, however, soon decided that it would not 
be wise to make any special attempt for this, 
but when they found one night when they had 
stopped at a little tavern that it was the very place 
from which Joseph’s horse had been stolen, they made 
some inquiries of the landlord and said some sharp 
words to the hostler, but they both professed igno- 
rance of the entire matter, and pretended not to 
recognize the boys, and refused even to believe that 
they had ever been there before. 

Mr. Terrill decided that it would not be wise to 
make any trouble about the matter, as the horse 
was of less consequence than their own speedy 
return ; and accordingly the party pushed on, mak- 
ing such haste as they could, and in much less 
time than the former expedition had occupied they 
had arrived safely at their homes in Elizabeth 
Town. 

The welcome which the boys received was a warm 
one, and the satisfaction which was evident upon the 
face of Mr. Shotwell, as he listened to the reports of 
their behavior, was very marked. 

He asked many questions about their journey 


340 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


and the condition of the army, and expressed great 
pleasure at the report which they brought. 

When the boys told him about the engagement 
which they had witnessed at Gloucester, he had no 
more idea than they that their young friend, Evart 
Van Slyke, could have been on board of one of the 
schooners. 

In reply to the questions which John put to him 
as to whether anything new had been learned about 
the hut on the marsh, Mr. Shotwell replied that it 
was as much a mystery as before. He was yet more 
convinced, however, that secret operations were 
being carried on between some men at Elizabeth 
Town and those of Staten Island, and that supplies 
of some kind were constantly being sent over there. 

“ I ’m afraid,” he said to John, “ that the men 
who are doing all this are not Tories, but in their 
hearts are good friends of the Colonies ; but there 
is such a big profit in these secret operations that 
they have not quite moral courage or patriotism 
enough to make them keep out of such dealings. 
I am afraid that a good many men, whom we don’t 
suspect, are engaged in this, and that a good many 
friends will become bitter enemies when the truth at 
last comes out.” 

“ I ’ve been thinking a good deal about that hut 
since I ’ve been gone,” said John ; “ and I don’t 
like to give up that I ’ve been beaten. I ’ve been 
turning over a good many schemes and plans in my 


THE FIGHT AND FLIGHT OF THE FALCON. 341 


mind, and I ’m going to find out something about it 
yet, if I can.” 

“ I don’t know whether you ’ll find anything in 
the hut or not,” said his father. “ I ’ve become very 
doubtful about that. I know these things are going 
on, but that shanty did n’t appear to enter very 
much into the business.” 

“ I still think it had something to do with it, 
though,” said John. “ I can’t believe that School- 
master Chase was going up and down the inlet for 
nothing, and I don’t believe that door was locked 
when Joseph and I went there without some good 
reason for it. I believe that those dead fish on the 
floor and those nets hung up around the walls were 
all put there just to throw us off the scent.” 

“ Well, success to you, John,” said his father. “ I 
don’t believe you like the remarks of the men you 
had with you, when the other expedition turned 
out as it did. That may be one secret of your 
perseverance.” 

“ I ’ll own up,” said John with a slight flush on 
his face, “ that that was n’t a very happy time for me, 
and perhaps that may be one reason why I ’m bound 
to succeed in finding out about it ; but I ’ve thought 
of a new scheme, and one that I ’m sure will help me.” 

“What is it?” asked his father. 

“ I don’t want to tell you just yet,” said John. 
“ I want to put it to the test first and see whether it 
will work or not. Maybe I ’ll tell you a little later.” 


342 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


It was the thought of Hannah which had given 
John a new inspiration. He knew that she was 
living in Schoolmaster Chase’s family, and he also 
knew that she shared with him in his intense dislike 
of that Tory. She was as firm and true a friend of 
the Colonies as any of the Whigs, and while John 
did not think that she would be disloyal to her own 
family, he still knew that she was living, as she then 
was compelled to, under protest, and that if she had 
been allowed to follow her own wishes would not 
have remained there for a day. 

He hesitated at first as to whether he should not 
try to see her, but his former experience on the 
island, and the fear that in the strained relations 
between the people who dwelt there and those who 
lived on the Jersey shore, a visit from him might 
lead to some serious trouble, he resolved to entrust 
the matter to a letter, and felt sure that he could 
succeed in sending a message to her. 

Accordingly he wrote a full account of his desires 
and plans, and told Hannah that if she were 
willing, he should be glad to have her tell him any- 
thing she might know concerning the dealings of 
the schoolmaster with the people at Elizabeth Town. 

John waited with a good deal of eagerness for her 
reply, and the message which came to him on the 
second day after he sent his letter was one that 
fulfilled his highest hopes, and gave him a clew to 
the mystery. 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 


A LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY. 

T OHN had written the letter to which we referred 
J in our last chapter, relying upon the friendship 
of Hannah, and the feeling which he knew she 
entertained for the Colonies. In the reply which 
she sent, she had promised that on the following 
afternoon about sunset, she would take her own 
little rowboat and start from Staten Island and 
row up the bay. If John should happen to be row- 
ing in that part of the bay somewhere near the 
same time, it was possible that he might see her. 
She happened to suggest that she would not be 
very far from Bergen, as she dared not approach the 
Elizabeth Town side of the bay. 

The demure little maiden wrote just enough in 
her letter to assure John that he could depend upon 
her assistance and to make him all the more eager 
to meet her. An hour before the time John had 
taken his boat and gone out on the bay, but when 
he thought how his presence there might be a 
source of suspicion, he returned and waited as 
patiently as he could for the appointed time to 
come. 

When at last it came and he had rowed around 


344 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


the point, he looked eagerly in every direction, and 
had just said to himself that she had n’t yet started, 
when he saw a little boat approaching. Long 
before he could see the face of its occupant he rec- 
ognized the little brown sunbonnet and knew that 
Hannah was coming. He drew alongside when she 
approached and for about ten minutes they had a 
very earnest conversation. 

Hannah told him of the troubles on the island, 
and how that every word which she dared to say in 
the house of her brother-in-law, in favor of the 
Colonies, brought down upon her the wrath of the 
schoolmaster. 

“ But I don’t care,” she said, “ he always has been 
of the opinion that if he said anything it was true, 
and no one had any right to dispute it. I want him 
to understand that I ’m living in his household, not 
because I ’m dependent upon him or because I like 
him, but just because my sister begs me to stay.” 

“ I wish you were back in Elizabeth Town,” said 
John. 

“ So do I,” replied Hannah, “but I don’t see any 
prospect of my being there very soon, unless the 
Colonies learn how to whip Great Britain, and that 
does n’t seem very probable.” 

“ I don’t know,” replied John; “ there ’s no know- 
ing what men will do when they ’re fighting for their 
own homes, and England has about all she wants on 
her hands in her troubles on the Continent. The 


A LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY. 


345 


fights we Ve had already at Lexington and Concord, 
and on Lake Champlain and at Bunker Hill don’t 
look as if our men were going to run right away.” 

“ But you have not yet met all that England can 
do, the schoolmaster says,” replied Hannah ; “ and 
he prophesies that when the Colonies go a little 
further, and get England thoroughly aroused, then 
this rebellion will be crushed very quickly.” 

“ Time will have to prove that,” said John, “ but 
now I want to know whether you have heard anything 
about this business of which I wrote you. We are 
suspicious that Schoolmaster Chase is having some 
business transactions with some of our men over at 
Elizabeth Town that are not just exactly right. Do 
you know anything about it ? ” 

“ I know that he is getting supplies from over 
there,” said Hannah, “ and I know that he has some- 
thing on hand to-morrow, too, for I heard him say 
at the table this morning that to-morrow would be a 
very busy day with him, and that he had to look 
pretty sharp or some of you people would catch 
him.” 

“I’m glad he appreciates our efforts to get closer 
to him,” said John. “ You don’t know where it is, 
do you, that he gets his supplies from?” 

“ Not exactly,” replied Hannah, “ but I know 
they’ve a place where they meet near the shore, 
though I can’t tell you just where it is.” 

“That’s just exactly what I thought,” said John. 


346 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“There’s a little hut clown on the marsh that they 
use I ’m certain, but let me do my best I can’t find 
out the mystery. I took a party of men down there, 
thinking I ’d made a great discovery not long ago, 
and when I got there, there was n’t anything to be 
seen in the house but some old dead fish and some 
seines. The men threatened to tar and feather me 
for leading them on what they called a wild-goose 
chase, and I ’ve been trying harder than ever since 
to solve the mystery, but I have n’t found out any- 
thing yet.” 

“ Well, I wish you success to-morrow,” said 
Hannah as she took up her oars and prepared to 
start back toward the island. 

“ Hold on a minute, Hannah ! ” called John. 

“ Can’t you send me a letter if anything comes 
up that I ought to know ? ” 

“ It is n’t proper for young ladies to be writing 
letters to young gentlemen,” said Hannah with a 
twinkle in her eyes. 

“ Oh, but you can do that for me ; I know you 
can,” said John, who in his secret heart was unable 
to tell which he cared more for, the letter which 
Hannah might write, or the news which the letter 
might contain. 

“ Perhaps I might send you a little note by the 
way of New York if anything of great importance 
came up,” said Hannah, “ but it will be difficult to 
send word to you direct. You know the ‘Jews 


A LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY. 


347 


have no dealings with the Samaritans,’ and so I ’m 
going to row back now to the other side ; ” and this 
time she did not stop when John called to her, and 
soon was out of sight. 

John slowly rowed homeward, and decided that he 
and Joseph would start again on their fishing trips 
on the morrow. Hannah had told him that the 
schoolmaster was expecting to make some deals on 
the following day, and John thought that it would 
be a good time for them to be on the watch. He 
was very desirous of trapping the schoolmaster, 
both because his own pride had been touched by the 
failure of the former expedition to the hut, and also 
because he knew that the transactions, which were 
being carried on secretly between some of the weak- 
kneed Jersey men and the people of Staten Island 
after the proclamation, were a source of genuine 
annoyance to his father, and were by him and the 
leading men of the town regarded as a serious cause 
for fear. 

Accordingly on the following morning the two 
boys started out once more, ostensibly for a fishing 
trip. They displayed more openly than they usually 
did the tackle in their boat, and tried to give the 
impression to every one they saw that they were 
simply resuming the fishing which had been inter- 
rupted by their trip to Cambridge. 

All day long they kept in sight of the Point and 
carefully watched the shore of Staten Island, to see 


348 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


if any one started from there towards the Jersey 
shore. 

Late in the afternoon, when they were returning, 
they did see a boat start forth from Staten Island 
in which were two men, one of whom they soon rec- 
ognized as the schoolmaster. 

“ Now ’s our time, John,” said Joseph excitedly. 
“ What are you going to do ? ” 

“ I ’m going to stay here and see what he does,” 
replied John ; and they had not long to wait, for the 
boat with its two occupants soon came back from 
the inlet and started across the bay. 

“ The boat is n’t loaded, is it ? ” said Joseph. 

“ No, I don’t think it is,” replied John. “ That ’s 
all the better for what I want to do.” 

“What are you going to do ? ” asked Joseph. 

“ I ’m going straight up the inlet to the hut again, 
and I ’m going to see if I can’t find something now. 
These men have just come away from there, and 
there must be something that made them go over to 
the hut, though it ’s the biggest puzzle I ’ve ever 
had, and I don’t like to give up beaten.” 

Accordingly the boys rowed up the inlet as 
quietly and as rapidly as they could, and soon came 
to the place where the hut was. As they leaped 
ashore, what was their surprise to see Jimmie Todd 
standing on the bank as if on guard. 

He was surprised as the boys approached, and yet 
his face took on a broad grin as the boys came near. 


t 


A LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY. 349 

John’s face flushed as he recognized the meaning of 
Jimmie’s expression, and without saying anything to 
him, he at once approached the hut, and finding the 
door unlocked, threw it open. There were the same 
dead fish on the floor, the same old hats on the walls, 
and the same broken seines hanging from the pegs. 

They were more puzzled than ever. What could 
be the meaning of it all ? Could it be that they 
were mistaken in supposing that that place was the 
rallying point ? 

John thought over what he had seen that day, 
and he knew that this conjecture could not be true. 
He looked hopelessly around the building, but 
nothing rewarded his search, and without deigning 
to notice the derisive laugh of little Jimmie, he 
went down to the boat, whither Joseph had preceded 
him, and started for home. The boys did not talk 
much as they rowed up the creek, but Joseph knew 
from the determined look on John’s face that he 
had no thought of abandoning the search or giving 
up the enterprise. 

That night John had a long talk with his father. 
“ I never thought,” said Mr. Shotwell, “ that you 
boys could have been entirely mistaken about the 
hut, and yet you are dealing with men who are very 
shrewd and at times may be desperate.” 

“ I know that,” replied John ; “ but I have n’t 
any thought of giving it up. That ’s all the more 
reason why I should keep on and search it out.” 


350 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


“ It will be a good thing for the town if you can 
find out about it,” said his father; “for if this 
goes on much longer, it ’s going to demoralize 
everything and everybody.” 

“ I ’ll do the best I can,” said John, “ and I ’m not 
going to get beaten if I can help it.” 

“ Well, success go with you,” said his father, as 
he left the room. 

The jokes which the men quietly passed upon 
the boys when they saluted them on the street did 
not serve to soothe their feelings, and when the 
small boys would hail them and ask whether they 
had seen any wild geese passing over Elizabeth 
Town lately, or not, the boys became more and more 
angry. 

After several days there came a letter from Han- 
nah, in which she told John that on the next day 
she was sure that business of unusual importance 
was going to be transacted, and that she suspected 
that the place on the shore to which she had re- 
ferred would be the place for the meeting. 

“Now’s our time, John,” said Joseph, “ and we ’ll 
set a trap that even this reynard can’t get out of.” 

The boys again went down the bay the next 
morning and resumed their watch. Early in the 
afternoon they saw the schoolmaster again start 
forth from Staten Island and make- his way up the 
inlet. He was gone but a few moments and then 
returned and passed quickly out of sight. 


% 


A LIGHT 0 N S THE MYSTERY. 35 I 

“ Does n’t that beat the Dutch ? ” said Joseph. “ I 
should be inclined to think he was doing it just to 
bother us, if he knew we were here ; but he does 
n’t know anything about that part of it, and the 
schoolmaster is n’t one to care very much for the 
effect of his doings upon others, so there ’s business 
of some kind going on, I know.” 

“ So do I,” said John, “ and I ’m going to the hut 
now and see if I can’t find out something more.” 

When the boys approached the hut this time 
there was no one to be seen. They fastened their 
boat to the bank and cautiously approached the 
shanty. No one appeared, and they stopped in 
front of the door and hailed any one who might be 
within. No answer was given to their summons, 
and then they approached the door and knocked. 
Still no reply was received, and again they knocked, 
but the silence was unbroken ; and after the boys 
had glanced in every direction, they were startled as 
they saw some one coming down the path which led 
to the mainland. 

“ He’s got something on his back,” said Joseph; 
“ and he ’s pretty well loaded, too. Let ’s hide here 
somewhere and see what he’ll do.” 

The boys quickly drew out of sight and waited 
for the man to approach. 

When he came to the door he placed his heavy 
bundle on the ground, and the boys were startled 
as they saw that it was Jimmie Todd’s father. He 


35 2 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


wiped the perspiration from his brow, and then in a 
minute opened the door and taking his bundle dis- 
appeared from sight. 

“We’ve got it now, John; we’ve got it now,” 
said Joseph ; but the boys remained concealed, wait- 
ing for further developments. Not many minutes 
had passed when the door was opened again and 
Mr. Todd came forth without his bundle, and glanc- 
ing hurriedly about, started on the run up the path. 

As soon as he was out of sight, the boys, highly 
elated at what they had seen and certain now that 
the mystery was about to be solved, hurriedly ap- 
proached the hut and opened the door. 

They stopped in surprise. Not a thing had been 
changed, no evidence of any visitor having been 
there was to be seen, and the old hats and seines 
were hanging just as they had been before, and the 
odor of dead fish was as penetrating as ever. 

“ What ’s the meaning of it all ?” said Joseph half- 
afraid. “ Here we see this man come with a big 
bundle and take it inside this shanty, and then step 
outside without it, and yet when we open the door 
it is n’t here.” 

John made no reply, although he was as puzzled 
as his friend. He looked all around the walls, but 
nothing new rewarded his search. Joseph mechani- 
cally pushed the stick which he was carrying through 
an old hat on the floor and whirling it on the end 
threw it out the door. 


A LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY. 


353 


“What’s that strap, Joseph?” said John. 

“ It’s nothing but an old piece of leather.” 

“Well, perhaps it isn’t, but let’s try it and 
see,” and taking hold of the strap John began to 
pull. 

“ It’s fast, anyway,” he said in a moment, “ and I 
believe it ’s something like a trap door here. Let ’s 
see.” 

“ It does look a little as if it was arranged, that’s 
so,” replied Joseph. “ The old hat lying over the 
spot accidental like, and that dirty-looking piece of 
leather fast to the floor does look a little suspicious. 
Well, I ’ll take a hold with you ; ” and together the 
boys pulled with all their strength. 

“ It gives a little. It is a trap door, I do believe,” 
said Joseph excitedly. 

“ There ’s something blocking it, if it is,” said 
John, and he began to look carefully along the edges 
of the board. “ Aha ! I ’ve found it,” he said in 
great excitement as he pulled two or three wooden 
pins forth which had presented merely the appear- 
ance of knots in the boards. 

He quickly removed these, and then when the 
boys pulled together, the trap door, for such it was, 
gave way at once. The boys were surprised at the 
sight that met their eyes. There was an apartment 
filled with supplies such as would be needed by the 
soldiers and the men on Staten Island. 

“ What fools we were ! ” said Joseph at last. “ We 


354 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


might have known this floor was too high, and the 
beams would n’t make up the difference.” 

“ The fact that it was built right on the ground,” 
said John, “ made me think that they had made that 
step so as to keep the floor from being damp. 
Well, we ’ve got it now, and I won’t hear any more 
of those urchins calling out ‘ wild geese ’ to me.” 

“ Not unless you get caught and plucked by the 
other side,” said Joseph, who was somewhat afraid. 
“ It ’s time for us to be getting out of here.” 

“That’s so,” said John, “but I’m going to take 
something with me ; ” and reaching down he picked 
up a letter which he saw lying there, and taking one 
or two samples of the things they had found they 
quickly went back to their boat and started for 
home. 

“ We did n’t get out of here any too soon,” said 
Joseph in a low tone after they had turned out of 
the inlet and were going up the shore. 

“That’s true,” said John, looking in the direction 
in which his companion had pointed. “They’re 
bound for the Point, that ’s sure, and I should n’t be 
surprised if it was the schoolmaster himself, though 
I can’t see very well so far.” 

“ Hannah was right,” said Joseph. 

“ You did n’t suppose she ’d be anything else, did 
you ? ” said John, as he began to row harder, and 
soon sent the boat into the creek. 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 


ONE MYSTERY SOLVED AND ANOTHER BEGINS. 



HEN the boys, filled with the discovery which 


they had made, arrived almost breathless at 


John’s house, they were disappointed when they 
learned that his father was not at home, but had 
g6ne to the farm for the day. The impatient boys 
were unwilling to wait for his return. Taking their 
horses from the barn, they immediately started forth 
to meet him. 

They had only gone half the distance when they 
saw Mr. Shotwell riding leisurely homeward on 
horseback, and when he recognized who it was rid- 
ing so rapidly toward him, he checked his horse 
and waited for them to approach. 

“What’s the matter, John? Has anything gone 
wrong at home ? ” he said quickly. 

“ No, nothing wrong, something good ; ” and the 
boys began to tell him of their discovery. 

“ Not so fast, not so fast,” said Mr. Shotwell at 
last. “You ’re talking bothrfogether, and so rapidly 
that I can’t tell your words apart. Now, John, you 
tell me just what you ’ve done ; ” and John proceeded 
to give his father an account of the discovery which 
they had made that afternoon. 


355 


356 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


The letter which John had found and had brought 
with him, they read and found that it was a notice 
that on the very next day some more goods would 
be brought ; and it also contained the bill for those 
which already were there. 

As they rode leisurely towards home Mr. Shotwell 
praised the young enthusiasts for their success, and 
talked over the plans which they proposed for bring- 
ing the goods away. 

It was finally decided that, on the morning of the 
next day, a small party of men upon whom they could 
rely should be gathered, and that these should go 
down to the hut in two parties, as they had done on 
the previous expedition, and thus be ready for any 
emergency on land or water. 

The men to whom the boys spoke that evening 
were very willing to go, although one or two of 
them good-humoredly asked the boys whether they 
were sure there were no wild-geese feathers around 
the shanty now. Only four besides the boys were 
invited, and two of them were to go by land and 
approach by way of the path, and two were to go 
in the sailboat, while John and Joseph were to 
approach in their skiff. 

The sun had not yet risen when the little party 
together approached the hut. No one had been 
seen, and no apparent danger threatened them. 
The boys, however, were more excited now than 
they had been on the previous day. 


ONE MYSTERY SOLVED — ANOTHER BEGINS. 357 

Suppose the men had been there during their 
absence and removed all that they had discovered ? 
How angry their companions would be at having 
been brought there a second time on what they 
might now term with good grace, in the event of 
failure, a “wild goose chase”; but John thought 
of the samples which they had taken, and he knew 
that they were enough to show that they had not 
been entirely mistaken ; besides, there was the trap- 
door which he felt sure they could open, and which, 
if it did not reveal to them anything hidden beneath 
it, would at least show clearly the hiding-place which 
had been used. They stood a moment about the 
building and were startled as they heard the sound 
of oars behind them. 

“There’s some one coming up the inlet,” said 
Joseph, and they all waited to see who the new- 
comer was. The man, whoever he was, was evi- 
dently surprised at finding boats in the inlet, and it 
was some moments before he approached the hut, 
and then in a very guarded and suspicious way. 

“ It ’s Jimmie Todd’s dad,” said Joseph, as he 
came in sight, and they all stepped forth from behind 
the hut to greet him. He was somewhat confused 
as he recognized the party, and stammered forth 
something about its being a good morning for 
fishing. 

“Yes, that ’s just what we came down here for,” 
said Joseph; “we thought of going fishing and 


358 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


did n’t know but under the shanty we ’d find some 
good bait.” 

Mr. Todd glanced quickly at him, and then 
resumed the quiet indifference which he had 
manifested from the beginning. 

“We might as well go in and see what we can 
find,” said the boys as they threw open the door, 
and approaching the part of the floor where the strap 
was, they pushed aside the old hat which covered it, 
and pulling out the pegs lifted the door. 

It was a sight indeed to startle them which was 
disclosed to their view. The supplies which the 
boys had found there on the preceding day had 
been largely increased, and the entire apartment was 
now filled. 

A great shout went up from the boys, and cheer 
after cheer was given. One of the men who had 
come with them in accordance with Mr. Shotwell’s 
suggestion^and of whom they had all been some- 
what suspicious, was the loudest in his shouts of 
approval. 

“ Watch that fellow, Joe,” said John ; “ he ’s yelling 
to keep up his courage. I tell you he knew some- 
thing about this before, in my opinion.” 

But the watch they had stationed here came hur- 
. riedly towards them and reported that a boat with 
^fPtwo men in it was coming up the inlet. Their own 
boats meanwhile had been carried farther up the 
little stream and hidden among the rushes, so that 


ONE MYSTERY SOLVED — ANOTHER BEGINS. 359 

the approaching party came on without any suspicion, 
and when they had made fast their boat they boldly 
approached the hut. 

It would have been difficult to tell which party 
was the more surprised when they met, the school- 
master and his companion or the men who were with 
the boys. Over the face of Schoolmaster Chase 
the look of dismay which came when he first saw 
that the hiding-place had been found, turned to one 
of hatred when he saw John and Joseph standing in 
the midst of the company ; but he waited for no 
conversation and quickly started back for his 
boat. 

Joseph could not resist the temptation to call 
after him as he left and invite him to come 
again. 

“Mark me, sir! Mark me,” shouted Joseph, 
“ you ’ll find everything you want here from darn- 
ing-needles to traitors and Tories;” but the school- 
master never glanced behind him and soon was out 
of sight. 

The party at once began to carry the things which 
they had found to the boat which they had brought 
for the purpose of receiving them, and a number of 
trips had to be made before everything had been 
taken. Mr. Todd had looked on with a sorrowful 
face while this was being done, but he uttered no 
word of protest, only declaring that he happened to 
be there, and had been preparing to go on a fishing 


360 THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 

trip, and that was the only reason for his being near 
the old fish house ; but as no one paid any attention 
to him, they soon saw him returning to the town. 

At last everything had been carried on board the 
boat and all were ready to go. The boys were the 
last to leave the hut. As they rowed down the inlet 
their faces beamed ; they looked at each other and 
frequently burst into a laugh, so glad were they that 
the time had come when they could be vindicated, 
and the evil practice which their fathers were so 
much opposed to, had been discovered. As they 
came out into the bay and rowed up towards the 
creek, the party on board the big boat, which was 
ahead of them, became more and more noisy. 

“ No more goose feathers for you,” called out one 
of them to the boys ; “ pin feathers are enough.” 
But the boys only shouted by way of reply, and the 
conversation was not continued. Goose feathers 
and pin feathers both were subjects about which the 
boys did not care to talk. 

“Well, they can say all they want to about pin 
feathers,” said Joseph as he turned to John ; “we 
are n’t very old, it ’s true, and the war is n’t very old 
either, and yet we ’ve seen more of it than any of 
those fellows who are so free to talk about ‘ wild- 
goose chases’ and ‘pin feathers.’ ” 

“ We shall have to do a little as General Wash- 
ington did,” said John. “ Don’t you know when he 
went to Cambridge what fun the Tory papers made 


ONE MYSTERY SOLVED — ANOTHER BEGINS. 36 I 


of him on his arrival ? Don’t you remember tl^at 
song- they printed that begins : — 


“ When Congress sent great Washington, 
All clothed in power and breeches, 
To meet old Britain’s warlike sons 
And make some rebel speeches ; 

and ends with the verse : — 


The patriot brave, the patriot fair, 
From fervor had grown thinner ; 

So off they march’d with patriot zeal, 
And took a patriot dinner ” ? 


“ What do they call a patriot dinner ? ” said Joseph 
to John when he had finished. 

“ Corn pudding and Yankee rum,” replied John. 

“There goes the ferry, but there’s only one on 
board,” said Joseph, pointing to the boat in the dis- 
tance, and they both became quiet. A little later 
Joseph said: “That one passenger they’ve got on 
the ferry acts as if he knows us. See him wave his 
hand. He acts as if he was waving it at us.” 

“ I can t tell who it is, but let’s give him a cheer 
anyway,” said John ; and the boys shouted together. 

Again the stranger waved his hands more vio- 4 
lently than before, and the boys shouted in reply; 
but when the last shout from the stranger had been 
heard, Joseph looked at John with a startled ex- 
pression upon his face and said : “ I know that voice; 
at least I thought I did.” 


362 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS . 


“ Who do you think it is ? ” said John in a low 
tone. 

“ It sounded like Evart,” replied Joseph, “ but of 
course it is n’t possible.” 

“ I don’t know,” replied John, “ I only wish it 
were. I wish it were,” he repeated slowly to himself. 

Both the boys, however, were strangely agitated 
and but little inclined to talk. The ferryboat mean- 
while had reached its dock, and whoever the stran- 
ger was, he had immediately disappeared. 

The boys were somewhat excited as they rowed 
up the creek. They did not have much to say to 
each other, but the stranger’s voice, which had 
reminded them so much of their lost companion, 
had made each of them thoughtful, and they were 
silent, though the heart of each was full. 

Could it be possible that Evart had returned? 
Nearly a half-year had passed since he had dis- 
appeared in the fog off the island, and the faint 
hopes which they had had at the beginning, that 
some day, or somehow, he would come back to 
them, had long since become dead. 

Each of the boys was asking himself this ques- 
tion many times, “ Could it by any possibility be 
their lost friend?” But at last their boat was made 
fast to the dock, and in a strange excitement, 
though unusually quiet, they left the bank and 
climbed upon the bridge. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 


CONCLUSION. 

' I ''HE boys found John’s father waiting for them 
A on the old stone bridge. Reports had already 
come of the success of the expedition to the hut 
on the marsh, and his heart was glad, and he was 
unusually warm in his praise of the boys. Like the 
other men of those times, he was not given largely 
to praising his own children, and many a time the 
boys of those days grew up to manhood without 
realizing the tender affection in which their fathers 
held them. 

But for some strange reason the boys had not 
much to say to him, and after he had spoken a few 
sentences he quietly said: “ I saw some one a few 
minutes ago whom I think you know.” 

The boys looked at him with eager and white 
faces, and John in a low voice said : “ It was n’t 
Evart, was it ? ” 

“Why, what made you think of him?” said his 
father, surprised. “ I thought you ’d given him up 
for lost months ago.” 

“ Oh ! but was it Evart ? Tell me, tell me quick,” 
said John. 

“ Why, yes, I did see him, and I was glad to see 

363 


364 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


him too ; ” and his father told them how he had met 
him coming up the old street that led down to the 
bay. “ He must have come over on the ferry; 
indeed he told me that he did. He only stopped 
long enough to answer my questions and then 
started for home on a run. He seemed to be in 
a strange hurry for some reason, to get there,” said 
Mr. Shotwell with a smile. “ I told him they were 
all well there, but it did n’t seem to make any dif- 
ference with him, he would n’t stop for anything.” 

“ We thought we saw him down on the bay,” said 
Joseph, “ and now we know we did. He was on 
the ferryboat, and he stood up and waved his hands 
and shouted at us, but we could hardly believe our 
own senses, and neither one of us dared to say what 
we thought all the way up the creek.” 

“I knew it,” said John; “but there are times 
when you don’t want to talk much, — you dop’t feel 
like it, — and I was thinking of Evart, and how he 
must have been drowned out at sea somewhere, 
and how we ’d got back home safely, and how glad 
our folks were, and somehow, in spite of the good 
luck we ’d had down there in the hut on the marsh, 
I did n’t feel like saying very much. I wonder if it 
would do,” he continued, turning to his father, “for 
us to go up to his house now ? ” 

“Why, yes,” said his father, “ I rather think he’d 
be glad to see you ; I understand his mother is still 
there at his aunt’s, and I don’t suppose that she ’ll 


CONCLUSION. 


365 


think any the less of her own boy when she sees 
him with his two friends again ; ” and John was sur- 
prised as he saw that his father’s eyes were full of 
tears as he spoke. 

The boys started on a run, leaving Mr. Shotwell 
on the bridge, and went at once to the home of 
Evart’s aunt, with whom he had lived during his 
stay in Elizabeth Town. When they came to the 
gate and opened it and started to run up the walk, 
they stopped as they heard the sound of crying in 
the house. 

“ I guess the folks are so glad to see him in 
there that we ’d better not go in,” said Joseph. 
The sight of sorrow always touched the heart of the 
impulsive boy, and he was not one who would enter 
its presence unless he could be of some assistance. 

John nodded his head and they were about to turn 
around and go down the long walk, when they heard 
some one in the house shout to them, “Where are 
you going, boys? Why don’t you come in here?” 
and looking up they saw Evart standing on the porch, 
his mother holding one arm and his aunt the other. 

“ Come in here and help me!” Evart called. “ I 
don’t think I ’ll ever get away from these two 
women.” 

The boys gladly responded and ran up the steps 
to welcome the friend who had been to each of them 
like a brother. They had never expected to see him 
again, and now when they saw him standing before 


3 66 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


them the same as of old, only a little browner and 
somewhat sturdier, they could hardly believe their 
eyes. 

It was a glad time in which they shared, and the 
long story which Evart had to tell kept them till late 
in the day, but with glad hearts at last they started 
for their homes, rejoicing that the end had come to 
the long uncertainty, and that the hopes which they 
at times almost had lost had indeed been fulfilled. 

It was not long, however, before Evart came to 
John’s house, and again he had to go over the story 
of his wanderings before his father and mother. 
When he told of Ethan Cobb and his strange say- 
ings and doings, Mr. Shotwell said : “ Why, I think 
I must know him. At any rate, I knew people by 
that name in Connecticut, and the description which 
you have given of this man is almost an exact one 
of the man who I think was his father, and whom I 
knew in his younger days.” 

There were great rejoicings in Elizabeth Town, 
especially among the younger people, at the return 
of Evart Van Slyke, and many an evening was spent 
in celebrating the event. 

The days passed on and the strife of the Colonies 
became more and more marked. John’s father was 
often away from home, for he was an ardent Whig, 
and his zealous patriotism made him in demand in 
many places. A feeling of uncertainty was manifest 
on every side. In New York, in New England, in 


CONCLUSION. 


367 


the South as well as in New Jersey and Pennsylva- 
nia, the people were becoming thoroughly'aroused. 
Many of those who were in favor of the war which 
was being waged were not in favor, however, of an 
independent form of government. Still, some of 
the men were wise enough to see that this was the 
only solution of the problem, and they also knew 
that a declaration of independence would much more 
sharply define the line between those who were 
friends of the Colonies and of Great Britain. The 
reports came from the headquarters of the army of 
the stirring work which Benedict Arnold had done, 
and of the proposed expedition which he was to lead 
through the wilderness of Maine against Canada. 

The relations between the people of Staten Island 
and those on the Jersey shore became more and more 
strained. Secret dealings were still kept up, such 
as John and Joseph had discovered ; but they were 
done in such a way that the most of those engaged 
in them were not found out, although it was more 
than suspected that many of them were from among 
the professed friends of the Colonies. As in other 
trying times, some of the people were neither hot 
nor cold in their attitude toward the cause, and tried 
not to commit themselves to either side ; but the 
time- soon came when this negative position could 
no longer be maintained and every man had to 
declare himself, though this was done often in a way 
that surprised his friends and his neighbors. 


368 


THREE COLONIAL BOYS. 


The letters which Hannah had sent to John 
became somewhat frequent ; either the matters of 
importance or business multiplied, or else there was 
some question perpetually left unanswered which 
called for a reply from her. John did not stop to 
think long over the cause of this, but was well 
satisfied if only he could receive the letters of the 
demure little maiden. 

The determined stand which had been made at 
Lexington and Concord, the brave fight on Breed’s 
Hill, the bold work on Lake Champlain, the condi- 
tion of Boston, and the general stirring of patriotic 
sentiment throughout the country were beginning 
to have their effect. The winter was fast coming 
on, and all parties were looking forward to it with 
dread. The exciting events of the spring of 1775 
were as nothing compared with those which were to 
follow. No one knew what the end was to be, but 
that the struggling cause of American liberty was 
just on the eve of great events every one felt cer- 
tain. It was the one great topic of conversation 
on every street and in every home, and these boys 
whose fortunes we have followed through these 
chapters were soon called upon to enter into many 
of the exciting events of the times. What they did, 
where they went, the experiences which they had, we 
shall have to reserve for another book which we 
shall call Three Young Continentals. 

*>-790 , 























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